Sinnoh's Heir
by kskandury
Summary: Lucas is a long-time resident of Twinleaf Town, a diligent son, and best friends with the speedy kid next door, Barry. But a series of tragedies propels him into his own Pokemon journey with a new girl in town, Dawn. As Lucas and his team grow stronger, a shadow grows alongside him, threatening to burn everything Lucas loves. Part of Brendan's Journey and A Hui Hou Kakao's universe
1. Chapter 1: Initiation

**Hello everyone and welcome to the first chapter! This chapter will get the most important characters down and on the page and will set up Lucas' initiation for becoming a trainer. Thanks for reading, and please leave honest reviews! P.S. There were a bunch of errors in this chapter that I just fixed. If there are any more let me know! But, first and foremost, those of you who haven't gotten the memo yet should know that this story is part of a shared universe with the following stories:**

 **Brendan's Journey (by Jmoul 18-it has 60 chapters and 333 reviews aka it's a popular story)**

 **A Hui Hou Kaku (by BraviaryScout-it's got 50+ chapters and still being written, but it's an awarded FFN story and is arguably one of the biggest Alola stories on this site)**

 **Into the Storm (by Jmoul 18- a story about the Orre region that encapsulates the darker side of Pokemon and is just as great a read as Brendan's Journey-it's a must read)**

 **Me, You, and the Impending Blizzard (The most recent addition to our**

Chapter 1: Initiation

"HYAH! HYUH! HAA!" An 18-year-old boy was striking rapid kicks and punches into a red punching bag in his room as he toned his physique into peak fighting form. Lucas had always loved the fight, and the fight always loved him. He morphed into a perfect war machine once his feet entered the ring, and his cool and calculated technique pried apart opponents with exquisite precision and perfection. If beauty were a beast, it would be Lucas, people would say. He dug in a kick that swung the bag up into a 90-degree position that touched the ceiling along its length.

Of course, fighting wasn't his center, though; it was just a hobby. The truth, which only he and his best friend, Barry, knew, was that he wanted to be a lawyer, a master of language and surgeon-like persuasion. It was why he continued school for so long even though many of his friends, save for Barry, had left for their Pokémon adventures. He had little respect for many such kids to this day. They would run out with the promises of returning as Champions and Gym Leaders, ignoring the harsh truth that the vast majority of them would become fodder battlers for stronger trainers. In fact, he knew of some children who remained bug catchers for nearly eight years since they began. Sure, Lucas knew of some good trainers and he respected them as warriors, but he knew that any title short of Gym-leader or Champion would not be enough to provide for a family. In the meantime, he fought to pay for college, which would hopefully pay for his future.

He wiped the beaded sweat on his forehead, steadied his stance, and began pummeling the bag again. While the bag was taking his wrath, the TV beside him began to proceed to a new program after the advertisements. New voices narrating the program, seizing his attention and prompting him to give the poor bag some respite and hang his towel around his neck as he intently watched. There was a boy on TV not older than him, wearing what looked like a funny white beanie that made him look like he had white hair, riding a bicycle at rapid pace alongside a Kirlia and girl his age. The scene then cut to a battle where the girl and boy seemed to have teamed up against the announcers. A Combusken and a Kirlia were tearing away at a Wishmur and Magnemite with unprecedented ease and power. The ever-perceptive Lucas instantly began deconstructing the expressions in the trainer's and Pokemon's eyes, knowing the fire of a capable fighter. The program then cut to an interview with the two trainers. The boy was named Brendan and moved from Goldenrod City to Hoenn. His Kirlia was named Gwen and could also use Telepathy and quite a bit of sass to talk to humans. The girl, named May, was actually not a trainer but a coordinator for contests. The two clearly had feelings for each other based on how they kept softly looking at each other while the other spoke. When asked about their aspirations, Brendan said something that struck a chord with Lucas: "Well, I'm a trainer aiming to win the Hoenn League title and eventually become the Champion."

"Well that concludes this week's episode of _In Search of Trainers_ ," the announcer said. "Stay tuned! Next week, we travel to the wonderful Sinnoh region!"

"I like him: he's probably the first trainer in years to actually have a chance at getting somewhere. The dude's got some game," Lucas thought. "And a girl," he added, reminding himself that despite his prowess in and out of the battlefield, he was basically a cripple around girls. More often than not, _they_ would go out of their way to talk to _him_. But he would become a paralyzed creature when he opened his mouth and every time he tried to pull a super-effective move it would come out mangled and ineffective. The closest he had ever gotten to something real was when that girl Bianca asked him out, but even then he stuttered and drove her away when he accidentally blurted out that he would be "busy cleaning his room" that whole week. "Whatever," he thought to himself. "Maybe there's someone out there…" he sighed before antagonizing his punching bag again. After he had exerted himself to exhaustion, he sat down on his bed and ran his hand through his damp hair, feeling doubt and guilt creep up on him. A lawyer: he wanted to be one for the rest of his life, right? That had always been what he wanted. Mauville University had already accepted him for a pre-law major, and he was just eight years away from his dream career. Money, a family, success, and dignity: they would all be his if he stayed on this track. But of course, he had to pay for all that. Not just with money, but with time. His father had passed away just a few years ago, and his business partners had swindled away most of his family's assets and belongings, leaving Lucas and his mother with only their house and several thousand Poke-Dollars. To keep themselves alive, Lucas' mother had to work long and hard shifts at the Pokémon Center; she saw her son for only a few hours in the day. With tuition for school in the hundreds of thousands of PokeDollars, Lucas would be forced to make debts for himself so early on in his life. But that wasn't his biggest problem. His mother's health was failing her. Years of tiring and unceasing work began to wear down on her bones and flesh, reducing her chances of staying employed; if Lucas didn't care for her through the day, she would have been long dead. Lucas stared up at the bright lights in his celling, lost in thoughts as the rays berated his retinas. He had a choice: he could become a lawyer and risk everything to achieve his dreams, maybe even sacrifice his mother's health in the process. Or he could become something else, someone else, and bring in the money his family needed now. The only question was, what would he become if not the man he was in his dreams?

Lucas stood once more and trotted down the stairs into the living room of his little house. It wasn't much, there was only a TV, a couch, and a kitchen on the bottom floor, but it sufficed. He collapsed on the couch, rubbing the bridge of his nose and diving into pensive thought. His mother, Johanna, took notice of her crestfallen child. She had had Lucas when she was 24, and since James had passed away Lucas was all she had that held her to her sanity. Seeing him like this was crushing her soul. "Lucas?" she called before pausing to wet her strained vocal chords with some water. "Lucas? What's the matter, dear?" She made his way over to him and sat by his side, stroking his hair. "Lucas, nothing will change if you don't talk to me."

"Nothing will change if I do, either."

"We'll see about that. Now, tell me. Something is bothering you."

"Mom, I got into Mauville University."

"I know; you were ecstatic when the results came out, jumping up and down the entire house." She giggled a bit, remembering the excited and energetic image of Lucas. "But what about that?"

"I can't pay the tuition."

Her expression changed as the gravity of the situation rose beyond her ability to console him. "I know that too," she said hesitantly. "But I'm sure there's a way for us t—"

"There is no way. I have to take on the debt."

"Well, I'm sure that's no problem. You're a smart kid, and you'll pay it off in no time once you're a dashing young attorney."

"That's not the only problem." Johana's face began to become sullen as he said this. She knew what was coming next.

"We'll have no way to pay for your medical bills. I won't be there to take care of you. You'll…" his voice trailed off as he refused to say what his mind knew would happen.

There was an uneasy pause that ensued before Johana spoke: "Don't you worry about me. Even if I look dead, I'll be as good as alive if I know that you're happy. Lucas, you've always wanted this, and I don't want to be the one to ever hold you back. If that's the path you want, don't be a fool and stop for me."

"I'm not going to lose you too, mom," Lucas shakily said as tears began to fight the clarity of his vision. Johana knew what had to be done. It had been a long time coming, but if it was ever going to be of use know was the time. He deserved to know.

"Lucas Drake, that last name of yours has more weight than you think it does." Lucas was puzzled. Sure, his father was a successful businessman, but he was no Stone or Silph. "James was a trainer once." Lucas' eyes widened with bewilderment and disbelief. His mother was either lying or a lunatic. "He went all the way to the Elite 4. He was a trainer with so much promise and virtue that it was too much for his own good. He used his political power as an Elite 4 member to reduce taxes withdraw the services of the government. But not all of the citizens were overjoyed. When he threatened to remove unemployment benefits, the poor began to riot. He, being James, decided to ignore them and continue, reasoning that you deserved bread only if you earned it through your own work." A tear rolled down Johana's cheek. "He'd only been an Elite 4 member for 8 months when the first death threat came in." Lucas knew where this was headed. "By the time a few more came in, James had lost it. He told the public in a press conference that these protestors and nay-sayers were selfish and blinded by their laziness. Then somebody finally followed through with their death threat. The assassination attempt had failed, but it left James scarred. He left battling and being a trainer forever. He gave up his Pokémon and decided to become a businessman. He left his whole life behind and started anew. You were born a few years later, but by that time, Pokemon training and battling were long gone to us."

"Wh-Why are you telling me this now. After 18 years, now felt like a good time to tell me?" Lucas said, indignation in his voice. "I have a legacy to live up to, something larger than me to stand for, and you hide it from me? Why? What made you and dad think this?"

"Your father knew you had potential. And he knew that it would defeat you. If your ambitions to be Champion, Gym Leader, or Elite 4 were ever fulfilled, he feared what happened to him would happen to you. So we sheltered you from it. Now, I have no choice. I want you to be a lawyer, but you seem more reluctant than ever to become one, even if it is still your dream. This… this is the only other real path you can take. You have a legacy to guide you, a name to uphold, and a destiny to fulfill. Lucas, do what you will, but know this is a path that can lead to greatness, especially for a boy like you."

"Are you saying I should—"

"Become a Pokemon trainer, yes. But not any ordinary one. Lucas, everybody knows how much you love the fight. Your eyes and mentality can knock opponents out on their own. Now imagine if you had a team of equally strong and motivated partners: a force to be reckoned with if I say so myself. You are the heir to your father's throne, but be more than that. Become strong. Become unstoppable. Become _Champion_."

"M-mom I need some time to think. This isn't a small ordeal by any measure. I-I don't think it's for me. I never liked trainers. They always think their Pokemon are the best and they rush like retarded bulls into every fight. I'm not like that. I like to choose and craft my opportunities and tactics. But at the same time…" Johana thought Lucas remembered his father and his past, but Lucas was actually thinking of Brendan and May. They weren't the erratic dolts he thought Pokémon trainers to be. Their fight reminded Lucas of his own style of battle. If he did this right, perhaps he could rival even them.

"Take your time to think about this Lucas." She coughed a little before she spoke again. "Just know that whatever choice you make, it's right in my eyes."

"Thanks, mom." Lucas got up, his brain still reeling from the sudden revelation. Perhaps some sleep would calm his muscles and mind. He moped upstairs as the weight of his workout pressed his legs to the floor. For a moment, his predicament evaporated as the bed welcomed him to a relaxing rest.

He awoke the next day refreshed. Lucas saw the clock: 7:42 a.m. "I'd better get ready." He dashed in and out of the bathroom, brushing his teeth and taking a quick shower. As he got dressed, he opened the third drawer on his dresser to grab a shirt. Looking down, he saw a flat-top hat. It had a half-Pokeball design on the side and was mostly blue. Brendan had never worn that hat, but his mom would never throw it out. He did something that he would have never done until the events of last night. He looked at the manufacture tag on the hat and saw two things: the name "JAMES" written in permanent marker and copyright sign next to the number 1996. It was his father's. Lucas held the cap in his hands and stared, his cloudy future gaining more clarity the longer he looked at the cap. He had decided.

Lucas called Barry. If there was anyone who needed to know about this, it was definitely Barry. Lucas prepared himself for the adrenaline about to fill the room.

A minute later, a loud THUD was heard from downstairs. Lucas stopped for a moment as he heard rapidly firing feet fly up the staircase and carve a path towards his room. He smiled, expecting a familiar face to walk in.

Sure enough, a boy with wavy, blond hair, a striped white and orange shirt, beige pants, and a green scarf ran in, panting and grinning before looking at Lucas. "There you are!" he said. "Man, I've always wanted to go on a journey. But _you_ wanted to be a lawyer. But now you don't? It's a dream come true for me! We could be best friends _and_ best rivals; you dig? Anyways, did you just see the TV yesterday? Sure you did. So those two trainers, Brendan and May, they got their Pokémon from a professor. There's a professor not far from here, his name is Rowan and he has _lots_ of Pokémon. We're going there. If we ask him for some, he'll give us Pokémon!" he paused for a fraction of a second before he spotted a blue PC in the corner of Lucas' room. "Oh hey cool! A new PC? That's awesome!" the boy said before he recollected his senses. "Oh, right, right. We're gonna go see Professor Rowan and get some Pokémon! I'll be waiting outside. Last one there's a fairy type!" The boy bolted in a haze right out of the door as the commotion of his feet was carried down the stairs and out of the door.

"That Barry," Lucas began, "the dude needs to cut on the sugar... is it sugar?" Lucas put on a white scarf and dark blue jacket over his red shirt underneath. He was about to walk out of the door of his room to follow Barry when he remembered something: the flat-top.


	2. Chapter 2: Water and Steel

Chapter 2: Water and Steel

 **I'm going to say much for this chapter, other than the fact that the title should drop a hint… And without further ado, here's chapter two.**

Lucas fitted the beret on his head snugly. As he approached the front door downstairs Johana called him from the kitchen. "Lucas! It snowed yesterday so don't forget to put on that beret in—oh you put in on." She smiled as Lucas' outfit rekindled old memories in her. "You know? You look just like your father in that. I really wish he could see you now."

"Me too, mom."

"By the way, Barry just ran outside. I don't know what was up with him but he sure was in a hurry!"

"Well, that's Barry for ya'." Lucas was about to leave again when his mother walked over to him.

"Oh, yes. Don't go into the tall grass. Wild Pokémon may jump out and attack you. I'm sure you know that and all, but I just wanted to make sure. I know you don't have any Pokémon just yet so…" She paused, not knowing what to say next. "Well, good luck, dear! Send me letters and whatnot." She sniffled a bit. "Just know I'll always be with you." Lucas hugged his mother.

"I promise I'll send some letters mom. Just pick up the phone when I call, because letters take forever!"

"Well, take care, sweetie!"

Lucas nodded and headed out the door. He looked around but Barry was nowhere in sight. "Where the hell did he go?" he said aloud. He ventured to the end of Twinleaf town, where he was abruptly stopped by a blond-haired man.

"Hold up, lad. You're Lucas right?"

"Yes…"

"I know you're probably minding your own business and stuff, but this kid faster than the Flash named Barry really wanted to see you. You should probably go see him. He's really anxious. He's over in that house, by the way," he said, pointing to Barry's house.

"Er… okay, I'll see him. Thank you."

"No problem, and sorry to bother you!"

Lucas headed the other way and made his way over to Barry's house. It was a bit larger than his, though it looked similar. He put his hand on the doorknob when the door suddenly opened and a blinding yellow flash of light in the form of a person bolted out and bumped into Lucas with a resounding THUD. Lucas fluttered his eyes as his focus returned and the outline of Barry appeared before him.

"What was that all about?" Barry said. "Oh hey, Lucas! I'm off to see Professor Rowan! You should come too, quickly!" Barry dashed to the right without another word to exit Twinleaf Town, but he halted immediately, his incredible momentum zeroing within a fraction of a second. "Ah, shit. I forgot something. He bolted back inside his house and flew up the stairs."

Lucas, who was still quiet and barely said a word through the whole ordeal, finally came to his senses. "The fuck just happened?" he said, dazed by Barry's superhuman speed and thought. He walked into Barry's house, trying to follow the speedster. Barry's mother, Anna, saw Lucas walk in.

"Hi there, Lucas! So kind of you to stop by. Would you like something to drink or eat?"

"No thank you, Mrs. Allen. I'm just here to see Barry."

"Oh, he's in his room right now. I'm sure you can go see him."

"Thank you, Mrs. Allen." She just smiled at him and Lucas made his way upstairs. Barry was there, working in a blur as he threw books, notepads, and journals into a green bag.

"Woah, almost forgot that!" he said as he threw another red journal into his bag. He turned around and noticed Lucas. "Oh, hey Lucas! I'll be on the road. I'll be charging a 10 million PD fine if you're late!" he blurted as he bolted out of the room and outside.

Lucas just sighed as he chased Barry down and out of the house, trying his best to keep up with the lighting-fast blur Barry became while he moved. Sprinting to the edge of Twinleaf, Lucas saw Barry at the edge of the patch of tall grass that would lead them out onto route 101, and then Sandgem Town. Lucas knew better, though. "Barry, don't be a doof. You don't have any Pokemon! You could be seriously hurt."

"Not if you're as fast as I am! The trick is to move to next patch of grass before any Pokemon can attack you. Now watch me, and then copy me. We'll be there to Sandgem in no time." He took a few steps back as he sprinted into the green before him. As he neared the first patch of grass, a loud, deep, and resonating voice belonging to an old resonated.

"HOLD IT!" A well-built man in his sixties with gray sideburns and mustache approached the two, his hands folded behind his backed and his legs maintaining a firm and authoritative place. Lucas did a double-take. This man reminded him of the Hoenn Elite 4 leader, Drake. Barry shuddered, in the man's presence. "What is the meaning of you trying to jump into the tall grass?" the man questioned. Barry didn't say a word. Some silence followed before Barry's eyes lit up and he whispered to Lucas.

"Isn't this man Professor Rowan?" Lucas nodded shakily. If this professor denied them Pokémon, it wouldn't just be the end of his journey. It would be the end of any chance he had at holding his little family together: he would have to carry his mother's coffin sooner. Professor Rowan knew what these boys wanted, and he turned his back to them while contemplating whether or not to fulfill their desire to obtain Pokémon of their own.

"These two tried to enter tall grass to obtain their own Pokémon. Hmm… their worlds would truly change if they did obtain them. Is it moral of me to put them on that path?" He turned to the two once more. "Do you two truly love Pokémon?"

Barry replied with an ecstatic "YES!" while Lucas calmly nodded.

"I'm going to ask you again. Do you truly love Pokemon?"  
"You can ask us a hundred times, even a million. The answer won't change," Barry answered.

"A pair of reckless kids who foolishly enter tall grass without consideration for the repercussions. It would moronic of me to offer such dangerous people Pokemon." The expression on Lucas' face sucked the light out of Sinnoh faster than Necrozma could. Barry himself was disheartened, but he wasn't heartless.

"Well… forget about me, then. But give Pokemon to my friend here," he said, pointing to Lucas. "He did nothing wrong." Barry stared at the floor, hoping that Lucas would not suffer for his actions.

Rowan was quiet for a moment before he spoke again: "How very mature of you. I apologize for my sternness, but it seems that your maturity extends far beyond my initial observations detected. I will give you two Pokémon, but on the condition that you will never recklessly endanger yourselves again."

"YES, yes, we will never do such things again!" Barry exclaimed as Lucas silently let out a sigh of relief.

"Now where…" Professor Rowan said as he trailed off, pulling out a phone and making a call. A voice on the other side answered. "No problem, dear. Just be here at the southern edge of Route 101 by Twinleaf with the briefcase as soon as possible."

"Boy, you seem to be very quiet," Rowan said, looking towards Lucas. I do respect that virtue but know that when the time comes, you will be called on to speak, and then you must not hesitate."

"Yes, sir," Lucas respectfully and firmly replied.

"Now that's more like it, boy," Rowan stated. Moments later, the clacking of light feet could be heard as girl emerged from the northeast part of Route 101 that led to Lake Valor. She was running at a steady pace with a briefcase in her hands that Barry instantly observed, surmising that it carried Pokemon. But Lucas was a bit distracted by something he thought was more captivating: the girl carrying the briefcase. Long, flowing, black hair; mesmerizing diamond-blue eyes; an attractive… "frame"; and the cutest smile that glowed as she began sprinting towards them: she had it all. Lucas, an otherwise staid and unwavering boy, felt a shortness of breath come about him that eventually turned into total breathlessness. He tried to avert his gaze, sort of, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her. His face had a pearlescent hue developing around his cheeks as the girl approached closer. He could now make out the outlines of her dress: a V-neck mini-dress that seemed to flow along her contours, a pink skirt, what appeared to Lucas as a white blouse, a beautiful white scarf, long pink boots and even longer black socks that barely covered her knees, and a cute, pink beanie with a Pokeball design that matched Lucas' own flat-top. Now, Lucas had trained nearly every muscle in his body to obey his commands and execute tasks with perfection, but he forgot to train his mouth, which was now gaping at the beauty of this girl.

When she finally arrived, she set off her duffel bag on the floor and gave the briefcase to Rowan. "Professor Rowan!" she began, "you left your briefcase at the lake!" She then looked at Barry and then Lucas, her gaze lingering a little while on him. "I-is something wrong here?"

"No, no, everything is quite fine." Rowan turned to face Lucas and Barry again. "Barry, Lucas, this is Dawn, my assistant."

Dawn extended her hand to Barry, who shook it and said "Nice to meet you, Dawn. Name's Barry Allen."

"Nice to meet you too, Barry." She then turned and extended her hand to Lucas, who was smiling kindly, doing his best to hide his nervousness. Unbeknownst to him, Dawn was doing the very same thing.

She extended her hand to him. Lucas, whose firm resolve and posture were whittling away, met her hand with a shaky grip. "H-hi. I'm Lucas Drake," he said, trying to regain the control over his body and the natural hue of his face. "I'm Dawn. I think we've actually met before." Lucas was slipping into shock at this point. Not only was he holding a conversation for more than three sentences with a girl, but she had also apparently met him before. Lucas, unfortunately, had no recollection of such a meeting, and he scolded himself for it dearly. "How the hell do I not remember her, she's so beautiful! Arceus, how impolite I must be!" he thought. "I-I don't recall us, uh, ever meeting," he said, trying to indicate he wasn't sure.

"Oh," Dawn said, looking a tad dejected at the suggestion.

Sorry that he brought her spirits down, Lucas immediately spoke: "Well, we may have met. I just have a terrible memory, so I probably forgot. You can ask Barry." Barry knew how intelligent Lucas was and how sharp his memory was; he was going to go to Mauville University, after all. But, being a great friend and wingman, he nodded in agreement.

Ironically, now Dawn wanted to lift the blame from Lucas' shoulders: "Well, it's not just your memory, then. _I_ can't remember when and where we met," she giggled.

Rowan, who simply raised an eyebrow during the entire interaction, finally spoke. "Now, the briefcase. I was going to give these two their own Pokémon," Rowan said to Dawn as he turned the briefcase on its side, the locks and handle on the seam facing him.

"P-professor… those Pokémon? They are extremely rare and hard to replace… A-are you sure about giving them away."

"These Pokémon may be rare, but trainers of such quality are much rarer. Especially someone like this young man," Rowan said, pointing to Lucas. "They deserve these Pokémon, to say the least." Dawn nodded in agreement. "There comes a time when people must meet Pokémon for a purpose that is beyond battling and training, perhaps for the growth of the individual's character or perhaps for the betterment of the Pokémon. Whatever the case, this world retains value only when it is explored together. For these two lads, I say there is no better time and place than here and now." He turned to face Lucas and Barry. "Now go forth, choose your Pokémon. Choose your companions." He handed the briefcase to Lucas, who gingerly opened it and saw three Pokeballs on a soft green mat that protected them from being jostled in the suitcase.

"How do I know what's in each one?"

"Your heart will tell you, boy," Rowan answered. Lucas gave a puzzled look. "I'm only kidding, that's nonsense. Place your hand over each Pokeball and see." Lucas did as he was told, and as he placed a hand on the first Pokeball, an image of a little monkey with a fiery tail popped up on a screen placed in the side of the suitcase that wasn't holding the Pokeballs. It turned to look at the Lucas from the screen and began jumping excitedly. The name Chimchar appeared in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, next to a fire symbol. He halted his exploration of the Pokemon though, and he turned to Barry.

"Hey Barry, you should choose first, not me."

"Nah, buddy. You were the nicest friend I ever had and you've gone to great lengths to help me out in my hour of need. I owe you the chance to go before me for once."

"Thanks, Barry." Barry nodded in approval and Lucas continued to look at the Pokémon. He then placed his hand over the next Pokeball, and a small turtle-looking Pokemon with a twig sprouting from its head appeared. It smiled at Lucas and bopped the screen with its nose, making Lucas chuckle. The name Turtwig appeared in the corner of the screen next to a grass symbol. He then placed his hand over the last Pokeball, and a cute little penguin with a huge, spherical, head and a little body that looked like it came with a cape and two white buttons appeared. Despite its immense cuteness, the Pokemon gave off an aura of regality, pride, and most importantly confidence. It waddled over to what probably was the camera inside the Pokeball, and gave it a couple little pats with its wings before it stared deeply into Lucas' eyes as Lucas gazed into its large, blue ones. He felt a bond form between the two. The name Piplup appeared in the corner next to a water symbol.

He then stopped to think for a moment: he didn't know what Pokémon Piplup evolved into, but he knew that it was a dual water-steel type. Lucas, loved dragon types, primarily because of his last name but also because of their raw power and commanding presence. But ever since the successful conservation efforts by humans, Fairy Pokémon began to breed and repopulate the world, and dragons faced a threat they had never before seen. Lucas knew well that Fairies were weakened by Steel-types, so now he had all the more reason to pick Piplup. "Alright! I choose you! Piplup!" he exclaimed as he held the Water-type Pokémon's Pokeball up high. He released the little creature onto the ground, and for a moment it looked dazed and confused, but it saw Lucas and it immediately waddled over and began nuzzling his legs with adoration.

"Awww, that's just _adorable_!" Dawn squeaked, her excitement saturating her words. Lucas smiled as he picked up the little penguin and held it high with both hands. As they both looked at each other, they knew that they had both chosen correctly.

"We're gonna' become the best of friends, buddy. Together, we're gonna beat the Pokemon League! What do you say?"

" _PIIIPLUP!"_ the little Pokemon chirped.

"Wait, Professor Rowan, how do I know if it's a boy or a girl?"

Rowan was dead silent and didn't say a word, but the message went to Lucas regardless. "Oh, I-I got it," he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

Rowan smiled and said, "Well, if you are still wondering, it's a boy."

"Imma call you…" he thought for a moment and remembered this Pokemon's most salient virtue: its nobility. "Caesar!" Piplup gave a strong and affirmative chirp, indicating its firm approval.

"Wow, that's deep, dude," Barry said. "Alright, they I choose Turtwig!" he said as he pulled the twig Pokémon's Pokeball and released it into his arms.

"That's a boy too, by the way," Rowan said, knowing what Barry was going to do. Barry nodded.

"Alright, how does Richard sound?" Turtwig nuzzled into his arms and cooed with delight.

"Great choice you two. And that leaves you, Dawn."

"M-me? Y-You want me to choose a Pokemon?"

"Of course Dawn, you are old enough now, and since you completed schooling and worked with me for almost a year now, I think you know well enough about Pokemon and training them to take care of yourself and set off on your very own journey. You are more than responsible enough and I have plenty of faith in you. What do you say?"

"P-Professor. T-thank you! I-I've always wanted to go on a journey!" she said, unable to contain her excitement from the surprise. She giggled. "Luckily, these two haven't chosen the Pokémon I want; let's go Chimchar!" she exclaimed as she released the little monkey Pokémon. "Well, I already know you're a girl. So let's call you… Gwen!" Chimchar looked confused. "Yeah, I feel like that name belongs to a Gardevoir more than a Chimchar. How about… Hazel?" Chimchar called with excitement as its tail grew into a fiery blue color, exuding a comforting warmth through the wintry air.

"Well, I'd like you to recall all of you Pokémon now. It approaches noon and I have a meeting to attend," Rowan said. The three did as Rowan said. "Now, I realize that you two have no collapsible equipment, such as tents, or cooking utensils. I know you have never been on a journey before, but trust me, those things will come in handy. Based on experience, I suggest you go and organize your things today and set out tomorrow, understood?" Barry and Lucas nodded. "Oh, and one more thing. About this meeting I must attend, I, unfortunately, cannot bring Dawn with me, and although I would usually leave her in the Pokémon center's rooms, I would like to ask you two if you could kindly take her in as a guest for today. I understand that it's a sudden request, but I believe that it's time Dawn leave my protective care and venture on her own with you. Is that something you'll be able to do?"

Lucas nodded and spoke: "Sure, she can stay at my place… i-if she'd like of course."

"Yes, it's fine with me. Thank you," Dawn said, a cheery smile radiating across her face.

"A thanks from me as well, Lucas. Now, I'll be off. I must not be late at any cost. A good day to you all!" Rowan said as he walked westward towards Sandgem Town."

"Well, I better get home then, I'm hungry and I'd also better start packing. See you two tomorrow!" Barry said as he dashed over to his house. Lucas and Dawn waved before Dawn picked her duffel bag, dusted the bottom and looked at Lucas. They held the gaze for a comfortable moment before Lucas gestured toward the direction of his house, and they walked. They were close to each other, almost touching but not. Apart from the plodding of their feet in the cold, Sinnoh soil, there was soft silence as each scoured the vastness of their thoughts to perfectly open a conversation with the other.

 **And there you have it. Chapter 2! I know I should have given Dawn Piplup, but I chose Piplup as Lucas so I had to do that. Also, Barry is not an** ** _actual_** **speedster. I just thought it funny that he should share the first name with an actual speedster, given Pokémon Barry's speedy, sugar-rush nature. On an important note, I won't be posting for a little while (say 1-3 weeks) because I have to work on college apps and they're kind of a big deal... So please, comment/review and PM any suggestions you have in the meantime! It's how this story gets better and meets expectations.**


	3. Chapter 3: Kindling and Ignition

**Thanks for the feedback on the previous chapter! First off, a huge thanks to jmoul18 for giving the raw inspiration for this story, writing an awesome story that I can't stop reading again, and giving me awesome tips for this story. Next, I'd like to address an anonymous comment made about where I'd source the frame for this story: it's going to be based on the events for Platinum (because that's the game I played as a kid) and because it really was a perfected version of DP. But if there are some things from DP that I should use, tell me in the reviews! Also, I was able to make some crucial changes to the previous chapter and I have a pretty good idea as to where this story is headed. As usual, any and all suggestions are considered, so PM if you'd like.**

Chapter 3: Kindling and Ignition

Lucas was walking to his house, next to a blushing Dawn who was quite enthralled to stay at his place for the day. As they neared is home, Lucas thought it was fair to make a point to his new friend: "I-I know the house is small, but we keep it neat and tidy and it's nice and warm inside when it's cold outside."

"Oh, it's alright. It may be a small house but it looks so cozy and comfortable, especially given the chilly weather here," she giddily replied. Lucas opened the door for her and led her inside, where his mother perceptively noticed the extra set of feet on the floor. She looked up from her work in the kitchen and saw Dawn smiling at the tidy furnishing of the home.

She stopped her work and walked over to Lucas and Dawn, welcoming the latter saying, "Come in, dear. I'm sorry the house is such a mess. Lucas didn't tell me he was coming home so soon after he left." She paused to give a quick glance at Lucas, raising her eyebrows for a moment, and said "Or that he was bringing a girlfriend." Dawn blushed at the suggestion, and Lucas nervously tried to tell his mother to dial down a tad.

"Mooommm," he groaned, embarrassed with redness. "She's just a _friend_. I literally met her 20 minutes ago!" Johana just giggled.

"I was only joking, Lucas. Now, I didn't get your name, dear. What did you say it was?"

"It's Dawn Avery ( **I actually can't think of a good last name. Review below if you have suggestions)** , Mrs…"

"Mrs. Drake" Johana filled in. "Well, you two must be starving. I'll get the food ready in about half an hour, so go on ahead and relax for a bit," Johana said with the homeliest and hospitable smiles.

"Thank you, Mrs. Drake, but we can help you around the kitchen, if you'd like," Dawn courteously replied.

"Oh! So well mannered. I've tried to the person next to you to behave like that for 18 years now, and he _still_ never helps around the house." Both Dawn and Johanna laughed, while Lucas' head was red enough to be confused with the tomatoes on the kitchen counter. "Anyways, it's not much cooking for me to do, so I'm sure you two can go on upstairs and warm up by the fire for a while."

"Alright. Thank you, Mrs. Drake."

"No problem, sweetie." Johana turned to walk back into the kitchen while Lucas and Dawn went up the narrow stairway to the upper floor. The upstairs only had three rooms: a bathroom, a bedroom for Drake, and a bedroom for Johana. They walked in and sat down on Lucas-' bed, which barely held the two of them, encouraging them into close proximity of one another. Dawn's gaze wandered around Lucas' room, admiring the posters of The Dark Knight and Imagine Dragons, the punching bag and gloves neatly placed in a corner, and the various trophies and books that lined shelves. It didn't take her long to know the boy she was sitting next to was a _very_ capable one. It's wasn't like she'd never seen capable boys before. It's just that they would flaunt their success and make a whole scene out of it to get attention; he, however, was quite reserved and respectful, never putting his worth above others. She liked that.

She kept looking around the room quietly until her gaze landed in his, only his didn't break. "You in there, Lucas?" she said, blushing wildly.

Lucas was no dolt, and he thought quickly. "Yeah. It's just snowing outside… and it looks very beautiful." They both knew what he was really talking about. Dawn turned around to look at the little specks of white float gently to the ground, landing without sound and forming powdery mounds of sugar and delight. It was then that she started to feel the room become a little chilly, and she made a request to amend that.

"Lucas, um… do you think it's a little cold in here?" Dawn asked softly.

Lucas nodded. "Here, I'll turn on the fire. It'll get warm really quick, so, if you want, I can keep your coat and scarf on that hanger," he said, pointing to a coat-hanger by the door.

"That'd be nice, thank you," she said, as Lucas got up to take her coat and scarf. He gingerly hung them on the hangar alongside his own scarf and jacket, and then turned to kindle the fireplace. He had a convenient habit of setting up kindling and logs for the next fire right after the previous one ended, so he picked a matchbox from the drawer, struck a match, put it in the kindling, and fanned the flames for a few seconds. Satisfied with the warmth it was exuding, he turned back and sat next to Dawn, who curled up into a ball to retain heat.

"If you're really cold feel free to pull up the comforter."

Dawn pulled up the tucked comforter and melted in its reassuring warmth. Lucas just smiled and sat on the bed again. "You and your mom are very nice. Thank you for letting me stay here for the day," Dawn said, melting further into the blanket.

"It's nothing. We're always happy to help someone." Dawn nodded. There was a slight pause as both didn't know what to say next.

"So…do you have any dreams or aspirations, Lucas?"

"I do. I've always wanted to be a lawyer. I felt that the profession was my calling. The field is intense and fierce but intellectual, and that's just what I wanted. But my father passed away a few years, ago. We don't know why. We just got a call a few days later from the Vice President of the company that he had passed away while he was working with some scientists on something; apparently, the details were confidential, and even his own family couldn't know them," he said, a touch of indignation in his voice.

"I-I'm sorry about your father…" Dawn kindly said, her warm smile heating Lucas faster than the fire.

"Thank you, it's alright now. But after he passed away, my mother was diagnosed with cancer two years later. It was in stage two." Dawn's eyes widened with sympathy. This boy was so kind and calm all the time, no one would have suspected that he had so many tragedies in his life, probably would because normal people wouldn't able to maintain their sanity as he did. She wanted to hug him, and tell him it was alright and that things would turn out for the better because he deserved it… but she held herself. "I needed to find a way to pay her medical bills because she wasn't able to work at the Pokemon Center in Sandgem anymore. If I became a lawyer, it would be at least 7 or 8 years before any real paycheck came in." He paused, tears building in his eyes. "At that point, I'd have no mom to pay medical bills for. So I decided to become a Pokemon trainer. It apparently runs in my blood, because my father was an Elite 4 member before he became a businessman."

"Your father was part of the Elite 4? What was his name?"

"James Drake."

"I…I don't ever recall seeing the name in textbooks."

"Yeah, he left after just 8 months. People tried to kill him once he became an Elite 4 member, so he left battling and Pokémon forever." Lucas paused to look at Dawn before he continued. "I'm going to finish what he couldn't. I have to. I have to become Champion." Dawn saw the pain run across Lucas' face, all the emotional suffering, the pent-up rage, the unfairness in his life. He didn't deserve this. He was too kind and too proper to have his life littered with tragedy after tragedy. She couldn't hold back her urge, so she got up out of the comforter and gave him a hug, her face right next to his. Lucas was nearly startled by her movement, and his face went flush. He hugged her back, gently but warmly.

"You know, Lucas, you shouldn't have to go through this alone," she pulled back from the hug and looked into his eyes deeply. "I can't feel your pain. I'll never be able to. But I do know what it is like. Both of my parents were killed when I was sixteen. They used to help protect Pokémon from Team Rocket by keeping them in special shelters before Team Rocket could capture them. They also got the League to pass legislation that protected animals hunted by Team Rocket. Team Rocket nearly shut down because of them." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "They didn't like that," she said, her sniffles becoming sobs. "So they…" she couldn't finish her sentence as her sobs prevented her from opening her throat. Lucas gently held her hand in his, her soft hand held in his firm and reassuring grip. He didn't have to say anything, because Dawn slowly stopped crying, her sobs fading and her voice becoming more pronounced, and smiled.

"Well, I guess we have each other to lean on, huh?" she said, putting her other hand over the one that held hers.

"We do," he said, gratefulness and care in his voice. Their heads leaned closer, ever so slowly but perceptibly. They leaned further and further until their foreheads touched, their eyes locked in the other's sight. Dawn gave a small chuckle, at which Lucas himself smiled. Lucas wanted to stay that way. He didn't want to leave her, but he reluctantly pulled back anyway, not letting go of his smile. "Well, we know what I'm up to now. What about you? Professor Rowan himself said you have a lot of potential, so what do you want to be?"

"I-I don't know. I've always wanted to do Pokémon contests… well… because they looked so fun. I guess I've always wanted to share the magic and beauty of Pokémon with people. But I don't know if I'll be good at it." Lucas thought this was absurd.

"If she couldn't do contests, then every girl aspiring to be in contests might as bloody well quit," he thought to himself.

"Well… you could do it. I mean, you're definitely _beautiful_ enough to do contests. I'd be surprised if you couldn't make it to the top."

"Y-you really th-think so?"

"I wouldn't say that if I didn't."

"Well," she began, resolve filling her voice, "I want to become to Top Coordinator of Sinnoh!"

"That's the spirit! Say, why don't we let out our Pokémon and let them play around the room for a little while?"

"Yeah! That's a great idea! Go, Hazel!" she said as she released a brown monkey with the cutest bit of overbite on to the floor. The little monkey bounced around before leaping into Dawn's arms. Dawn rubbed its head and nuzzled it, earning a relaxed coo from the Chimchar.

"Wow, she's really good with Pokémon," thought Lucas. "Alright, Caesar, come on out!" The little Piplup popped out in the middle of grooming its feathers. It suddenly stopped to see where it was it landed and then waddled over to Lucas. Of course, the penguin Pokémon could barely move with its head the size of its body, so it simply fell on its face, causing Lucas and Dawn to laugh. Caesar bopped himself back up, however, and began to puff out its chest proudly, once again trying to reach Lucas. This time it did, and Lucas picked it up and ruffled its head-feathers. "Awesome buddy! You gave it your best shot. Besides, penguins swim!" he reassured the penguin, bopping its little nose with his finger.

" _PIIIIPLUP! PIPLUP!"_ it chirped as it jumped out of Lucas' hands and into his lap below, where it snuggled and fidgeted into the gap between his crossed legs and closed its eyes.

"Aww… it's such a charming little thing!" Dawn squealed with delight at the sight of the cozy and comfortable penguin Pokemon.

"Okay Caesar, I know you're sleepy but my leg's going to fall asleep too!" Lucas laughed as he cradled the Pokémon into his left arm, while he stood up to grab a pillow from the closet on his right. He then placed Piplup at the foot of the bed and closer to the fire on top of the plushy pillow he had lain for it. The Pokemon flapped its wings a little in its sleep and cooed in delight as it drifted away into a dreamy land of bliss. Lucas slowly ran his fingers through its thick down coat before sitting back down on his spot in the bed. Dawn put Chimchar on the same pillow, only it was it was a little closer to fire than Piplup. Chimchar stretched its little arms and let out of soft yawn before curling up into a ball and falling asleep.

As Lucas sat back down, Dawn noticed something: there were _no_ playthings or games whatsoever in the room. It seemed devoid of anything amusing or indicative of fun, which piqued her curiosity about Lucas. "Hey Lucas, what do you like to do for fun?"

"Well," he chuckled, "when I was still in school that punching bag was the most fun I could ever get. You have no idea how fun it is to focus all of your stress and rage into a single point and fling it onto a squishy target." Dawn looked a bit shocked; Lucas was appearing to be more of a psychopath than she would have liked. "But," he continued, "now that school's out, I play a lot of video games, like CoD and Super Smash Bros."

"Wait, you have Smash Bros?"

"Yeah, why?" Lucas asked, loving where this was going.

"Well, I have that game, too. I love it. What version do you have?"

"Wii version."

"Perfect. Do you want to play?"

"Sure, mom said she'll get lunch ready in about fifteen so I think we have enough to play a few rounds."

"Awesome!" Dawn exclaimed, and Lucas went to go pick up the disc and turn on the Wii. The old machine hummed to life and a blue light highlighted the disc entry point as he inserted a disc the size of his hand with many favorite Nintendo characters into the cartridge. The screen on his TV turned on, and Lucas hit start on the disc channel, sucking the two teenagers into an addictive world of brawling and fun. "I think I'll be…" Dawn said, moving her cursor along many rows of playable characters, "Kirby."

"No… come on, Dawn! You're better than that!"

"Let's just say I want to see how good you are."

"Alright, you're on!"

"Then I'll choose Link! How long should the game be?"

"Let's play three games of four minutes."

"Deal… wait a minute? Do you want a nunchuck?"

"Yeah, that'd be great!"

"Alright, let me get you one." Lucas got up to open a drawer in front of him and get out a nunchuck. He brought it to Dawn and sat down on the bed again.

"Don't you want to use the nunchuck?" Dawn asked, not seeing anyone play without one before.

"Nah, I play side controls. It's faster and better."

"It's not about good controls: it's about a good player."

"Well, I have both right here."

"Time to find out." Dawn hit the start button and chose the Battlefield stage. Both began mashing buttons furiously, but one of them seemed to be having an edge from the start. No matter how fast she dodged, how far she flew, Lucas was almost always able to pin her and land successive combos before throwing bombs and up-attacking her into oblivion. The game was over, and Lucas had 10 kills while she had just one, and that was because she had gotten several items. "OK, round two," Dawn said, wanting to redeem herself. Lucas quietly but affirmatively nodded. He was in fight-mode, and he would not say a word till victory was entirely certain and behind him. It few moments, it was. Lucas had locked on so fiercely that the score gaps between them only widened. Dawn hung her head, embarrassed by her continuous defeat and worried that Lucas would see her as haughty and prideful, even though the opposite was true. "Y-you're really good, Lucas."

"Well, you made the game fun to play, so I guess that matters more," he replied. "Fuck, now it sounds like it was fun because she was easy to beat," he thought. As each began to overthink the significance of their otherwise trivial behaviors, Lucas' mother interrupted them.

"Hey, you two, lunch is ready!"

"Let's go grab some food. I'm starving," Lucas said, as he led Dawn out of his room and downstairs where some salsa, tortillas, lettuce, black beans, guacamole, grilled vegetables, and sour cream were all placed out in separate containers across a table.

Dawn gasped with joy, "Are we having burritos?! I love burritos!"

"Me too," Lucas concurred.

"Well, that's wonderful. How about the two of you tuck in and eat right now. I've actually got some shopping to do, and I want to get that out of the way before I eat," Johana said.

"Mom, you have to eat. You can't just skip lunch," Lucas said, worry in his voice.

"Nobody said I'm going to skip lunch; I'm just going to eat a bit later."

Lucas sighed in defeat, "Fine… but promise you'll be home soon."

Johana smiled, "I promise. Goodbye, honey. Goodbye, Dawn." She waved as she stepped out of the front door and towards the car parked outside. Lucas and Dawn didn't wait to voraciously down as many tortilla-wrapped dishes of goodness as they could, their appetites almost competing with each other. A few burritos and "mmmmmmm"s later, they cleaned their plates and dishes and decided to go back upstairs.

Lucas opened the door and allowed her inside his room again. This time, Dawn ran straight to the windowsill and looked out into the wintry wonderland outside.

"Hey Dawn, you're from Kanto, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I guess you haven't been around much snow then?"

"No… it looks so fun, so powdery and delightful."

"Well, you'll get used to it. It snows _a lot_ in Sinnoh. You'll get used to it. In fact, how about we mess around in the snow tomorrow. Nothing's better than a powder snow and a cup of water."

Dawn looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Snowball fights."

"Wait, really? Wow! I've always wanted to be in a snowball fight!"

"That's perfect, then. We can play with our Pokémon, too. After all, Chimchar is resistant to ice and Piplup loves the cold."

"That sounds great, but what about 'winter-wear'?"

"No problem, you can borrow my mom's."

"You're awfully kind Lucas, thanks." And so they playfully exchanged conversations that brought their once separate lives ever closer together, until Dawn began to feel very sleepy. Lucas quickly picked up on her tiredness and offered her his bed, which she almost immediately accepted. Lucas put some more wood in the fire to keep her warm, and then ever so slightly opened the window to prevent the air from getting stuffy. He then began stuffing his bag with items, utensils, portable tents, and spare gear he would most likely need. With the Rydel company now selling its patented "shrink" technology to other companies, products like tents and cooking utensils could be shrunk into little cube packages and easily carried for storage before being opened up and ready to use again. An hour later, he stuffed his bag full of the exact things he needed, neatly organized and perfectly coded for their uses. He'd taken Professor Rowan's advice well, and now he was finally ready for his journey. He decided to use the time left that to look at a map of Hoenn and plot his journey across Sinnoh. Eight gyms, one Pokémon League: his pencil drew through all of them in a neat line that formed a path for him to follow. He began to envision himself at the Pokemon League, the most powerful trainers in Sinnoh, and, of course, the Champion: Cynthia. He and Caesar would go a long way together, and that way would begin tomorrow. After a while, Lucas too began to feel drowsy. He got up to go to bed, but saw Dawn there, and halted right where he was. She was very pretty when she was awake and talking, but it didn't go away when she fell asleep. She looked so inviting, warm, and happy that Lucas really had to rationalize not sliding in and cuddling with her. As he turned his head to sit back in his chair, Dawn smiled.

About an hour later, Johana woke them both up and asked them to come downstairs and have dinner. After some delicious burgers, both Dawn and Lucas decided it would be best to catch some sleep before starting their respective journeys. But before they both retired to sleep, Johana pulled Lucas aside and whispered something to him.

"Moooommmm! I'll find a way. I'll-I'll, whatever. I'll take care of it, OK?" Lucas replied, his face once again as red as a tomato as he walked back upstairs with Dawn right behind him.

Dawn noticed Lucas' flustered expression and decided to press a little further. "Uh, Lucas? What was going on downstairs?"

"It, uh, wasn't much. You see, we only have two rooms. And mom's bed only fits one person…" Lucas said, stretching his sentence and hoping that Dawn would catch on and suggest something. But Dawn was having way too much fun, so she kept dead silent but put on a smile and a raised eyebrow. "We also don't have any air mattresses or anything. S-so if y-you like…" he said, once again hoping that Dawn would catch on before he had to explicitly finish the sentence. But Dawn was resolute and wanted Lucas to say what she thought he would. Lucas was really nervous now, his confident aura now running to hide behind the pillows. "…y-you can sleep on m-my bed," he finished. "And I can sleep on the floor. It's carpet so I should be comfortable and all," he quickly added, successfully dissipating the tension within him and calming his nerves. But Dawn had other ideas.

"No, Lucas. Please don't sleep on the floor. That'll be painful. I'm sure there's something we can do…"

"GODAMMIT!" Lucas thought, "just when I thought I got away."

"Uh… it's okay, really. I've done it before and it's not all that bad."

Dawn wanted to throw that option out of the windows: "I'm not letting you sleep on the floor," she giggled, surprised by how well Lucas was dodging.

"I-I mean… if it's okay with you… I could sleep next to you on my bed," Lucas replied, his tone rising to indicate doubt in his suggestion. But Dawn had no such doubt.

"Yes. That's perfectly fine with me," she quickly and almost excitedly replied, happy that she'd gotten him to say what she wanted him to say. "But how about I get changed first."

"S-sure," Lucas began, still surprised by what she'd just coaxed him through, "it's the room to the left." Dawn got up off her spot on the bed and walked over to her duffel bag where she fished out some clothes before walking out of his room and toward the bathroom.

Lucas sat on his bed, running his hand through his soft, black hair. He picked up his Pokeball and looked into its deep, red top. "Hey Caesar, do you think she likes me?" The Pokeball gave a little shake. Lucas just chuckled and picked out his pajamas from the closet. Dawn came back a minute later, wearing a soft cotton pajama shirt with a pearl background and galaxies and stars all over it and a matching pair of pants. "No way!" Lucas began, instantly grabbing Dawn's attention, "I have those same pajamas, but they're in a diamond blue color."

"Really? Let me see 'em," Dawn said. Lucas held out the pajamas he was holding to reveal that his previous statement was the truth. "Haha, that's so cool. Well, I'll get cozy in bed and whatnot, because I'm super-tired. Why don't you go get changed too?" Lucas went to the restroom to change and was out in thirty seconds, old clothes in the laundry pile and all. By the time he came back, however, Dawn was already in the sheets, looking intently and warmly at him. Lucas lit the fire once more for the night, closed the window, and shut the door before setting an alarm and sliding into the covers and turning off the lights from the bedside switch.

For a few silent moments, he and Dawn just turned on their sides and looked at each other's faces: not a word was said, but communication still ensued. Lucas broke the silence: "Well, I guess we both have our big journeys tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess it's going to be awesome. Just think of all the new people and Pokémon we'll meet."

"Well, I think I've already met the best person ever before I even began my adventure," Lucas thought, but he wanted to say something more.

Lucas could feel his nerves kicking in as he tried to speak, but he held himself, allowing his focus to collect and his thoughts to coalesce into something useful. Just like he did before a fight, he took a deep breath and focused on his target: Dawn. "Dawn?"

"Mmhmm?" Dawn replied, not knowing what to expect from him unlike a few minutes ago.

"Well, since you and I are both starting our journeys tomorrow and we both have similar goals and dreams, what do you say we go on our journeys…together?" Lucas felt an uneasy silence building. "I mean, we get along fine and I think we can really help each other—"

"Yes. A million times yes."

 **Ok, so that was a VERY long chapter, and I know what you're thinking: "I just read pages of this horsesheet, resulting in now my eyes being irreversibly damaged, and I want to know if this author is liable. The answer is no, but, you can help by reviewing and telling me what I can fix. This was an experimental chapter because I have no clue about how to do shippings (I'm a 17-year-old who's more shy and awkward than Lucas; I have no source material other than other fiction stories). If there's a direction you want to see this go, please tell me and I'll be happy to take your advice! I promise that by the next chapter I'll be back on track with the game storyline, but as I said before, I was just testing something in this chapter that will need proper development for the rest of the story. Thanks to all the people who PMed and commented! Also, anonymous reviews are nice and I thank them for the feedback, but I request you kind reviewers use an account so I can thank you or respond. Cheerio everyone!**


	4. Chapter 4: Cosmic Encounter

**First off, thank you to Texas Variety Katie-bug, BraviaryScout (your review especially means a lot), and everyone else who reviewed for dropping some honest feedback about the story! Now the adventure** ** _really_** **starts. If you thought the story was a cute and fluffy paradise until now, just wait; things will change** ** _very_** **soon.**

 **And without further ado, I present chapter 4 of this story.**

Chapter 4: Cosmic Encounter

Lucas had slept very well that night and for good reason. Dawn had agreed to go on the journey with him; he was going to get a chance to start his life anew, and he was going to be able to bring his family back on its feet. He slowly fluttered his eyes open and rubbed them as his room came into focus. A pure, soft white light filtered in from outside as the sun-kissed snow glistened and gleamed in the frigid morning air. He was going to move and stretched when he felt warm, soft skin. He froze; he had completely forgotten that Dawn had slept next to him. He turned his head to look at her and saw that she was sound asleep. She looked so peaceful, cozy, and beautiful that he just stared, dumbstruck.

"Arceus, I wish this would last forever," he thought, before lightly turning his head to see the clock. It read 9:00 a.m. "Wow, a solid 10 hours of sleep?" he accidentally said aloud, causing Dawn to stir and flash her eyes open. At this point, Lucas couldn't look away if Arceus tried to make him, and Dawn noticed his face through her foggy vision.

"Oh hey, Lucas. Good morning," she said groggily.

"Good morning, Dawn. How'd you sleep?"

"I slept really well. I had a really nice dream. It was about… it was… D'oh! I forgot already."

Lucas just chuckled, "I hate it when that happens, too."

"What time is it?" she asked, looking at the beautiful light coming from the window.

"9:01, you want to get ready or catch some more z's?"

"I'm good. Let's get started!" Dawn slowly moved out of her bed and stretched, slowly walking towards the bathroom. As she was leaving, Lucas called out.

"Do you have a brush and everything?"

"Yeah, I have 'em all in my duffel bag. Thank you," she said, picking out some clothes, a toothbrush, some paste, and a towel from her bag. "See ya' in a few, Lucas." Lucas waved and got out of the bed himself. He stretched his back, cracked his knuckles, and made his way over to the punching bag. He had a big day ahead of him today, and being the sharp guy he was, he decided to warm up before his shower. He slid his gloves on, took his stance and threw his punch at the bag, which shuddered with his force. He pulled his fist back and began delivering a rapid series of punches before finishing with a kick that caused the bag to swing and almost knock his trophies and certificates over. He a few kicks and punches later, he fell into his regular routine and delivered a coordinated set of strikes in an attempt to increase his speed and attack the bag in as many directions as many times as possible in a second.

While Lucas was absorbed in pumping sweat out, Dawn had finished dressing and walked outside ready to go, clothes and towel in hand. As she turned to go to Lucas room, her ears picked up a grunting and panting noise and what appeared to be soft objects hitting each other with force. She stopped dead in her tracks and splayed out flat against the wall, moving inch by inch towards his room, her curiosity piqued. She neared the edge of the door and her eyebrows rose and her eyes widened with utter confusion and shock. "What in the bloody hell is Lucas doing in there?" As the noise grew louder, Dawn couldn't resist her pressing curiosity and decided to take a peek, what she saw thankfully not corroborating with what she thought she would see. Lucas had his back turned to her, and his leg had swung up he rapidly swung around and delivered a spinning hook kick, slamming the bag and leaving Dawn breathless. "Whoa," she said aloud, causing Lucas to swivel around.

"Uh. Hey, Dawn. You were out pretty fast."

"Yeah, I don't like terribly long showers. Y-you, uh, do this every morning? I thought you said it was a pastime?"

Lucas regained his composure. "Yes, it is, but I've got we've got a big day ahead of ourselves, so I thought I'd warm-up a little to stay in shape for the rest of the day."

"That was a warm-up?" she asked, surprised that his display was not even full capacity.

"Well, I need a larger room if I'm gonna go full on. I used to have all the room I needed when dad used to take me to…" his voice trailed off as his exuberant emotions dissipated. Dawn felt his sorrow two and her face reflected Lucas'. But Lucas reigned himself in and broke the cycle of bereavement, saying, "Alright, I'm going to shower, too. Mom's downstairs if you want to go get breakfast."

"It's alright, I'll eat with you," Dawn replied, sitting on his bed. Lucas removed the punching bag and once again neatly put it in his closet compartment. He grabbed some clothes from the closet before heading to the bathroom to shower. Lucas was out quickly as well, fully dressed but something missing from his attire. He walked back into the room, opened a drawer, and fitted his hat on his head, turning to Dawn and saying, "Ready?"

"Yep!" Lucas and Dawn picked up their bags and put their Pokeballs in their pockets before walking downstairs, entranced by the smell of freshly baked goods wafting around the lower floor. "Mmmmmm! Smells wonderful!" Dawn chimed.

"I suppose you'll like the pancakes then?" Johana responded, serving them both hot plates of pancakes and a little syrup on each. Lucas went to the fridge and got the margarine before getting the forks and knives for the two. Johana got a plate of pancakes for herself and sat in front of Lucas, who sat beside Dawn. Dawn and Lucas tucked in voraciously while Johana just chuckled. "You two must be starving! Shall I serve up some more pancakes?"

"I'll pass," Lucas said with his mouthful. Johana's expression soured for a moment before she reached over and bopped him on the head.

"Don't talk with your mouth full. Just for that, you have to eat these," she said, going back to the kitchen.

Lucas had a look of raw terror on his face. "Eat what?"

"These," Johana said, holding out a cup full of cranberries and other fruits.

Lucas gulped. He could deal with vegetables; they could be cooked. But fruits? They were vile, sour, hate-filled miscreants of Arceus' creation. He would rather take his chances with a life sentence or capital punishment. "Mom, I-I'm full…"

"Nuh-uh. You're going to eat _all_ of these."

"But I'm full."

"I'm not going to eat unless you do."

She had him pinned. "Fiiiine. I'll eat 'em." Dawn tried to hold back a giggle as she sat beside him. As tough as Lucas was and as much as he had been through, he never purged his soft side.

Lucas reluctantly extended his hand and received the bowl. Johana then turned to Dawn, "Would you like some as well, dear? They're quite good," she said, popping one from Lucas' bowl.

"Yes please, Ms. Drake." Johana smiled and went into the kitchen, returning with some fruits for herself and Dawn. As they ate, Dawn asked Lucas a question.

"Um, where are we headed first?"

"I think we should first go to Barry's house, see what he's up to."

"Sounds good to me!" Dawn said, as she finished the last bit of pancake on her plate. "Thank you, Ms. Drake, for letting me stay and making me feel at home."

"Oh, it was nothing. It was nice to having you over. And be sure you and Lucas come to visit or call from time to time on your journeys. Oh, Lucas, you _will_ send me letters, right?" Lucas nodded.

As Dawn and Lucas picked up their things, ready to head outside, Johana placed a hand on Lucas' shoulder. "I heard you got your first Pokémon from professor Rowan."

"Yeah, I-I'm sorry I forgot to tell you. I promise I won't do it again."

"I'm not mad, sweetie, I just wanted to know what you choose."

"Piplup."

"The penguin Pokemon? It evolves into Empoleon, a water-steel type, right?"

"I-I think it does."

"You know I never told you what type your father used to use in the Elite Four."

"What type did he use?"

"Steel Types. I guess you really are like James in that sense." A small tear fell from her cheek. I'll miss you while you're gone, but promise to me that whatever happens out there, you'll be strong and push through."

"I promise. I love you, mom."

"Me too, Lucas. Now go on, Dawn's waiting on you."

"Alright, I'll be leaving then: for real this time," he said, smiling.

"Bye, Lucas. Bye, Dawn. Take care of yourselves, and if you need anything at all, don't hesitate to let me know, okay?"

"We will, Ms. Drake. Thanks for everything!"

"Bye, mom," Lucas said as he waved and stepped out of the door with Dawn. Johana waved and closed the door as the two started walking towards Barry's house. Behind the door, she began to cough uncontrollably but inaudibly to Lucas.

As they walked, Dawn broke the silence: "How long have you known Barry?"

"Quite a while now. We've been best friends for as long as I can remember. We've done almost everything together and we always stood out for each other. In elementary, he was bullied for his stutter he used to have. In middle school, they bullied me because I was a little awkward around girls, still am. But in both cases, we were there for each other and were ready to fight if it ever came to it. We're almost like brothers in a sense. He'd always wanted to go on a Pokemon journey, but I hesitated because I wanted to be a lawyer, as you know. He was so excited when I told him I'd be going on a journey, too."

"Wow, I wish I had a friend like that. Sounds like you two could bring the moon to Earth if you wanted."

"We'd all do that for anyone we care about," he said, looking squarely into Dawn's eyes.

"Yeah, you're right," she said averting his entrancing gaze. The pair were at Barry's house in the next minute. Lucas rang the bell.

Barry opened the door. "Lucas! Dawn! I'm almost ready, give me a millisecond!" he said, racing inside and grabbing some things he would need for the journey.

"That's funny," Lucas said.

"What's funny?" Dawn asked, confused.

"For once _he's_ late." Barry bid his mother farewell and ran outside, closing the door behind them.

"Alright, we've got to get to the 201. We have to go to Lake Verity from there," Barry said, already moving towards the town's exit.

"Verity? Why? There's nothing there," Lucas questioned.

"We've got to properly thank Rowan for our Pokemon, remember? Apparently, there's a legendary Pokemon in the lake. I say we catch and give it Rowan for his research. That'll make him very happy."

"I-I'm not sure he'll really like that. He'll be fine with a polite thank you, you know?" Dawn said, concerned that these two would hurt themselves.

"Nah, there's no way he could refuse a Legendary. Come on Lucas, let's do this." Barry said with excitement and hyperactivity. It was almost as though his body was continually vibrating with energy from an unknown power source.

"I don't think it's a smart idea, but I want to show Dawn Verity anyways so let's go."

"Awesome!" Barry shouted (1) as he bolted toward the end of the town. Lucas and Dawn sprinted after him. Barry waited for them at the end. When Lucas and Dawn finally arrived, Barry was unable to contain his energy. He jumped up and down and pumped his arms in the air, like a happy child. "I've always wanted to do this, but here it goes! Lucas: you have a Pokémon; I have a Pokémon. I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle!"

"Challenge accepted," Lucas said, moving his left foot back and taking his stance. Lucas's (2) enthusiasm was on par with Barry's at this point, making Dawn take a few steps back not knowing what to expect from their battle.

Barry picked up his Pokeball and released his Pokémon: "Go, Richard!" The (3) Turtwig landed on the floor and looked back at Barry before narrowing its eyes and taking a defensive stance by crouching and partially covering its legs with its shell. Lucas smiled as reached inside his pocket for his own Pokeball.

"Caesar, conquer!" Lucas cried as he released his own Piplup. The little Penguin Pokémon landed on its feet but flapped its wings to maintain balance. Once it became steady, both Lucas and Barry called out their first move.

"Richard, attack!"

"Caesar, hold your ground!" Both Pokemon looked back at their trainer, confused. Barry and Lucas were a bit underwhelmed and just scratched their heads.

"What do you think happened?" Barry asked. Lucas just shrugged his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Dawn was about to fall on her back with laughter. "What's so funny?"

"You two have no clue how to battle, do you?" Dawn said through her incessant laughing.

Lucas looked down, embarrassed.

"You have to say the name of the attack you want to use," Dawn continued. "You don't have to say it every time, though. It's all a matter of knowing when to order the right attack at the right time."

"Oh, how do we know what attacks these Pokemon know, then?"

"You can look them up in the Pokedex, but you two don't have them yet. Lucky for you, I know these two Pokemon well from the research I did with Professor Rowan. Caesar knows Pound and Growl, and Richard knows Tackle and Withdraw. Just say the name of either move and your Pokemon will do the rest."

"Alright, then! Richard, use Tackle!" Barry said.

Richard started running towards Ceaser with speed that defied his turtle-like appearance. The Piplup tried to dive to the left, but its clumsiness on its feet did it no favors and Richard clipped him in the leg, knocking him backward.

"Caesar!" Lucas cried, but he needn't have worried. Caesar got to his feet and let out a high-pitched yell at Richard. The attack made the Turtwig flinch slightly and making a blue aura appear around him that looked like cascading water. It only lasted two seconds, and when it was gone, Barry just shrugged, confused, but didn't let the opportunity to get in free damage slip away.

"Tackle again!" he yelled. Turtwig raced for Piplup, landing another hit, but this time, the Penguin Pokemon was able to hold his ground against it, just being sent sliding back a few inches. Eager for revenge, Piplup pounced on top of Turtwig and began using Pound over and over again, slapping the other starter in the face.

"Hey!" Barry yelled at Dawn. "What gives!? Why'd that Tackle do so little damage!?"

"I see you've just seen your first example of a move that changes stats," Dawn said. "There are lots of moves that don't do any damage, but instead raise or lower stats. The move that Piplup used was Growl, which lowered Turtwig's attack by one stage. There are lots of others, but I'll let you discover them on your own. Oh, and by the way, Barry, I'd pay more attention to the battle if I were you."

"Wha- oh, _crap!"_ Barry shouted, noticing that Turtwig had no managed to push Piplup off him, and was on the verge of being knocked out. "Richard, do something!" It was too late. With one more attack, Turtwig was knocked out

"Wow, that was an awesome battle you two, but it looks like Lucas wins this one!" Dawn squealed with excitement as Caesar was cleaning his feathers and puffing his chest with royalty.

"That was awesome Caesar!" Lucas said, picking up the Pokemon and rubbing his head against it. Caesar fluttered his arms in excitement and wiggled with joy. "Alright, return, Caesar," Lucas said, calling his Pokemon back into its ball with a red light.

"You did a great job, Richard. Now have a nice rest, buddy," Barry said recalling the Turtwig. Barry than walked up to Lucas and the two affirmatively clasped hands arm-wrestling style before giving each other a pat on the back.

"Next time, I'm going to beat you, got it?" Barry said with confidence.

"Wanna place money on that?"

"Deal, 40 Pokedollars for the winner."

"40 Pokedollars? What am I supposed to do with that, get half a cookie?"

"Alright, 400 Pokedollars."

"Deal," Lucas said and the two shook on it. "Now, we have to go to Verity."

"Not before your Pokemon are healed!" Dawn said. "I have potions and revives right here," she said, fiddling through here duffel bag. "Here, give me your Pokeballs. I'll show you something." Lucas and Barry gave her their Pokeballs and she stood in between the two of them so both could see. "Pokeballs nowadays come with some cool features."

"Like…?" Lucas asked, confused about what needed to be updated about Pokeballs.

"Like you don't have to release your Pokemon to heal them or give them an item. Watch," she said, turning the Pokeballs around and revealing three small symbols on the back. "The yellow symbol that looks like two pyramids stuck together is the revive symbol." She pressed it on Richard's Pokeball and put the revive near the button. The Pokeball briefly opened and the revive disappeared.

"Cool."

"The spray bottle symbol is the potion symbol," she said, pressing it and having the potion disappear into the Pokeball just like the revive. "And the last question mark symbol is the item symbol. Do the same thing I did with the revives but hold an item out to the ball and the Pokemon will receive it!"

"Thank you Dawn, very cool," Barry said.

"No problem. _Now_ we can go to Verity," she said, smiling at Lucas. Barry wasted no time in charging ahead into the opening that lead into the lake while Lucas and Dawn walked right behind him.

"Alright! We're here! Now let's go catch that Pokemon!" Barry yelled with excitement as he plowed forward into the clearing with Dawn and Lucas chasing after his heels.

The trio had reached Lake Verity, with the sparkling lake with its mesmerizing blue currents and lush grass in sight. Barry began to convert his amazement into speech: "Wow! I remember when we used to play here all the t—" Something else was suddenly arrested arrested his attention, something greater than all the beauty at the lake. "Who's… that?" he said, pointing to a man with aqua blue hair, night-black pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and a white and grey vest with his hands folded behind his back, looking out into the heart of the lake with great certainty in his eyes.

"I-I don't know," Lucas said, equally puzzled. The man looked menacing, yet completely in control and rational, unsettlingly rational. It was almost as though he was devoid of expression.

"…The flowing time… the expanding space… I will make it all mine one day," the man began. His voice reminded Lucas of Darkseid. It was intimidating and resonated with great power within. "Sleep well Pokemon of the Lake bed, because I'm coming: for you," he said with cold tone before turning around and heading towards the opening that led back to Route 201. Dawn, Lucas, and Barry didn't move, paralyzed by confusion and fear. The man neared them and stopped. He silently looked at the three of them, but his gaze seemed to affix on Lucas, particularly his hat. "Allow me to pass. Step aside," he said sternly, causing Dawn to shiver a little. The three parted for a moment as he stepped between them and left.

"Wow, what a weird guy, right?" Barry said, his nerves becoming calmer in the man's absence.

"Yeah, he was. He scared me a little," Dawn said. "Did you notice he was looking at your hat, Lucas?"

"Really? Why would my hat matter to him?"

"I don't know, but he doesn't exactly look like one who would muse over fashion sense."

"Well, he's gone now so there's no point in talking about him. LET'S CATCH THAT POKÉMON!" Barry roared. As he said that a loud but soft cooing call echoed around them. "You hear that? That's the Pokemon! We just have to go and ca—"

"What? Go and what?" Lucas asked.

"Fuck. Fucking fuck, shit, dammit! We forgot to get Pokeballs. WE FORGOT THE POKEBALLS?!"

"Yo! Calm down! It's alright. I'm sure there are other ways to thank Rowan other than catching Legendries, Barry. Besides, we heard the Lake Legendary, and that is a cool story to tell in its own right," Lucas reassured.

"Yeah, I guess so. How far is Sandgem from here?" Barry said, recovering from the raging despair he had only moments ago.

"It is…" Lucas said, pulling out his map that he had created from the day before while Dawn was sleeping, "40 kilometers."

Barry said something under his breath.

"What?" Lucas and Dawn both said.

"Nothing, gotta dash!" Barry said, bolting out of the lake's bank and out to route 201.

"Barry, wait for us!" Dawn called, but the speedy kid had already left them in the dust. "Does he always have to do that?" Dawn asked jokingly.

"Trust me; it can be a blessing sometimes," Lucas replied. "Do you want to see the lake before we leave?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful. I-If we have time and all."

"There's plenty of time. If we're fast enough, we can be at Sandgem before sundown." Dawn began to walk further along the bank of the lake, the soft lapping of the water relaxing her. Lucas walked right next to her.

"Barry and I used to play here as kids. I still know the whole place like the back of my hand," he said, chuckling. "Barry and I used to sit here and count the Magikarp and Lopunnies that ran around. We even saw a Gyrados here once." He paused letting the sound and sights collect within him.

"It's so wonderful," Dawn said.

"Yeah, it's winter now so the lake is super cold, but in the summer it's _perfect_ for a swim," he said, reminiscing on the times he and Barry played around in the water and pretended to be battleships. He and Dawn moved a little closer together, their hands almost touching.

Lucas wanted to stay there: with her, with the lake, but he knew they had to get moving. "I promise you'll see this place in the summer, but for now, we have to go to Sandgem."

"Right, let's get going." She adjusted her duffel bag's strap and looked at Lucas who turned and faced the exit-way. Lucas led her back onto Route 201. They crossed the path that led to Twinleaf and neared a patch of grass.

"I guess we'll have to walk through the wild grass then," Lucas said, "but it's a good thing we have our own Pokémon now." He ventured out into the grass slowly, trying not to make a sound. Dawn followed right behind him. Lucas proceeded through the patch unscathed, although Dawn had to battle a Bidoof. She fled the battle, however, reasoning that she wanted Hazel to save her energy for later. The two made their way down the route until they began walking through a large patch of grass that would lead to Sandgem. They trekked through the grass and eventually reached a town that had a few buildings and a romantically soothing atmosphere. The scent of evergreens wafted in the air as Dawn and Lucas walked through the calm and peaceful town.

"That's the research lab. Professor Rowan works inside there," Dawn said, pointing to a large, blue building next to the Pokemon Center, "and that's the Pokemart."

"Awesome, we can get ourselves some Pokeballs, then!"

"Right, but how about we grab something to eat? We've been walking almost all day and my legs are super tired."

"I-I'm sorry. You're right. Let's head to the Pokemon Center," Lucas said, leading Dawn into a building with a Pokeball symbol and a red roof.

Lucas stepped inside and walked over to the reception desk, where a nurse was filing through some papers. She then turned to the two and said "Hello, and welcome to the Sandgem Pokemon Center. How may I help you?"

"Hello, we're trainers on our journey and we would like to have a room for the night, please."

"Of course. I'll need to see your trainer IDs or Sinnoh IDs, please." Lucas and Dawn didn't have trainer IDs, but because they were 18 they carried Sinnoh IDs instead.

"Lucas Drake and Dawn Avery, right?" Lucas and Dawn nodded. She handed them each a room key. "You guys have room 4. Just go upstairs and take the first left," she said.

"Thank you," Lucas and Dawn both said, turning to go to the room. Lucas unlocked the door and walked in. The room was neat and cozy and reminded him of home. It had a television, a bathroom, and two bunk-beds.

"I'll take the bottom bunk," Lucas said.

"Sounds good to me. I'll take the top bunk then," Dawn chimed. Dawn slung off her duffel bag and placed in the corner by the door while Lucas placed his backpack on his bed. "There's a mess hall downstairs. Do you want to go grab some food?"

"No need, mom actually packed us some food," Lucas said, fishing two boxes out of his backpack. "Here," he said, offering her a box. He then opened his and took out two spoons from his backpack, giving her one. "Bon Appétit!" he said before digging into his quesadillas. Two quickly finished their dinner, and Dawn migrated from her bunk to his. She sat down beside him and asked, "I'm not that sleepy yet, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. To be honest, I'm not sleepy either." The two sat in silence, musing over things they could do with each other to pass time. Then Lucas' face flashed a happy smile as he remembered something he had wisely done the day before. "Actually, I think I packed a bunch of DVDs for the trip, because mom told me that Pokemon Center rooms had TVs and DVD players in them," he said, rummaging through his bag to pull out several DVD cases.

"Awesome! I love movies! Which ones do you have?"

"Well…" Lucas scratched his head a little, "they're good movies but they're all action and adventure. I'm not sure if you'll like them…"

"Are you kidding, I love those kinds of movies."

"Well, I have Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Dark Knight, and some Star Wars movies. I personally like Star Wars. How about you?"

Dawn was dead silent, making Lucas worry if he had upset her in any way. She then collapsed on the bed, her eyes and expression cold. Lucas was startled for a moment, before he bolted over to her and began to gently shake her. "Dawn?" No response. "Dawn, please, it's not funny," he said, his voice reflecting his fear and panic. "Dawn?! Get up!"

Dawn's mouth then moved a little. She kept her eyes closed, but a giggle escaped from her mouth. "Help me Anakin. I am weak," she said in a cunning but frail old man's voice before breaking out into a fit of laughter. Lucas' eyes widened and he slumped on the bed beside Dawn, letting out a huge sigh of relief and taking deep breaths to let out his built-up anxiety. "Not funny," he said, although his expression revealed his humor.

"It was funny and you know it," she said through her laughter.

"She's right," Lucas thought, "it was kind of funny." He tried to remember how panicked and worried she'd gotten him, but just couldn't be mad her. Besides, her laugh was disarmingly cute. A minute later, her laugh finally dissipated.

"Guess that means a yes to Star Wars then?" she said.

"Yeah, it does," he said, getting up off the bed to insert the Revenge of the Sith CD into the player before grabbing the remote and sitting down next to her.

"Lie down next to me. It's more comfortable to watch that way," she said sweetly. Lucas' blush that followed almost outshined the TV. "A-and your shoulder are blocking my view," she added. Lucas then moved his bag off of the bed before laying down next to her. Their hands touched ever so slightly, but both pretended like they didn't notice.

 **Alright, thanks for reading yet another long chapter. And I promise, things are going to get more dark and serious as the story progresses, much more so than the game-story can furnish. Thanks once again to everyone who reviewed the story! Cheerio, everyone!**


	5. Chapter 5: New Companions

**I promised you guys darkness, and this is the last light and introductory chapter. It won't be cancerously emo from here on out, but expect some more devastating tones after this chapter.**

Chapter 5: New Companions

Lucas' alarm on his phone went off beside his bottom bunk, jarring him awake and causing him to half-sleepily walk over and turn it off. He rubbed his eyes and dragged his body back to his bed; they had watched Revenge of the Sith last night till 11:00 p.m. and messed around for at least another hour. He needed some more sleep. As he slid back in the covers, Dawn quietly sat up on her bed as well. She anchored herself by her knees against the siderail of the bed and arched over, allowing her head to descend upside down and below into Lucas's field of vision while her hair freely dangled. "Good morning, Dawn," he greeted her, admiring the beauty of her hair and face.

"Good morning," she giggled from the blood rushing to her head. She receded back to her bunk and got down from the ladder on the side of her feet. She walked over to Lucas' side and sat down on his bed. "What time is it?"

"6:00."

"You want to get going or get some rest?"

Lucas definitely wanted rest, but he wanted to spend the day traveling and completing his adventure even more, especially since she was there. "I think I want to get started. You?"

"Just the same," she replied, getting off of his bed and allowing him to get up as well. They both took a moment to stretch, releasing the laziness from their bones. Lucas went to grab his backpack in the corner of the room, grabbing his brush, towel, and some clothes while Dawn did the same with her duffel bag. They were both about to enter the bathroom when they almost ran into each other. They both moved back but remained in extremely close proximity to each other.

"Oh, y-you can go first. I'll wait," Dawn said, her face reddening.

"It's alright, I have to call my mom anyways. So how about you freshen up first, and I'll go after you."

"Ok," she said, walking into the bathroom. Lucas sat down and decided to call his mother. It went to voicemail. He tried two times more. It went to voicemail two times more. He then decided to text her to call him when she could, because he knew that if she saw three missed calls and nothing else she would think he was kidnapped or dying.

Having nothing better to do, he decided to get organized and pack all of his belongings back into the bag he had. He put the movies from last night back inside when he felt a small paper slip at the bottom of the bag. It wasn't crumpled, so the note wasn't written too long ago. Lucas slowly released the note from the pressure of his clothes and belongings on top of it and yanked it out of the bag. It was neatly folded into quarters, so Lucas gently undid the folds and smoothened the paper out to read.

It was from his mother. He could recognize her handwriting anywhere: the soft cursive letters that were on all of his school lunches and sick-leave forms were now on the paper before him. "Mom wrote me a note?" he said to himself aloud, "When did she drop this in my bag?" He began reading:

"Dear Lucas,

Hopefully, you will have seen this note before you leave the Jubilife Pokemon Center because I there is something you need to do there. Go to the reception desk, and ask them if there are any delivery items left for you. I'm not going to tell you what it is: it's best I keep it a surprise. Have fun, sweetie. I hope you like the gift!

Love,

Mom"

"A gift? For me?" Lucas said to himself trying to guess at what it might be. "It's definitely not a sweater or something… I hope."

Dawn walked out of the shower a few moments later. She had her clothes on but was still drying her damp hair. Lucas did the mistake of setting his gaze on her because once he did, it was near impossible for him to break away.

"Alright Lucas, I'm done dressing. You can go inside," she said, gesturing towards the bathroom.

"Thank you. By the way, I already packed all of my clothes so we can leave whenever you'd like," he said, leaving to get his towel and clothes from his backpack.

"That's perfect. I'll pack all of my stuff before you get out of the shower and we can be off!"

"Sounds good to me," Lucas chimed, shutting the door. Lucas didn't take long to shower and was out in less than ten minutes. He donned his regular outfit and fitted the hat comfortably on his head: he was good to go for the day. "Are you ready?" he asked Dawn.

"Al…most," she said, stuffing the last of a pile of clothes into her back with a resonating "UMPH!"

"Okay, we're good to go. Where to first?"

"Professor Rowan's. I need to go thank him for these Pokemon, for taking a leap of faith and allowing me to begin a new life. I… I just don't have anything I can give him…"

"If I know Rowan, the discipline to follow through with a thank you is good enough. I'd say what you're giving to him right now is nothing less than what he wants," Dawn reassured.

"Thanks, Dawn. Now, I'm _very_ hungry. Let's grab breakfast and get on the road, shall we?"

"Sounds like a plan!" she exclaimed as she slung her duffel bag over her shoulders. Lucas opened the door for her and the two vacated the room, walking back to the reception desk. When they had reached there, Lucas pulled out the key to their room and gave it back to the nurse.

"Thank you. We hope you've enjoyed your stay," she warmly said.

"We did," Lucas replied, turning to Dawn. "Alright, I don't think I can wait for a second longer for food. Let's eat," he said, taking note of the warm smell of pancakes, toast, and waffles wafting from the mess.

Lucas and Dawn took some food from the breakfast line and sat down at the end of a long mess table.

The food at Pokemon Center mess halls was known to be quite good, and the food they had that day certainly affirmed that notion. "What's our plan after we go to the professor's?" she asked as she worked down pancakes and orange juice.

Lucas rapidly chewed and swallowed the morsel in his mouth before speaking. "I think we're supposed to go to Jubillife and the Oreburgh," he said, his hand covering his mouth.

"Jubilife? That's perfect! That's where my first contest is!"

"No way! Then I guess our journey is in sync with the contests for this year?"

"Yep! I think the Jubilife contest starts in about two days, so I have at least one day to prepare," she excitedly said.

"Right, and that means I have one day to prepare for my gym battle at Oreburgh, too."

"Mmmhm!" Dawn chimed, her mouth full. The two quickly plowed through their food and were on their way out in a few minutes. Once they left the building, Lucas looked around the town, not knowing where to go. Dawn instantly noticed his confusion and helped him out: "The lab's that way," she said, pointing to the right to a large blue building with a small brown compound attached. "Come on, race you there!"

"I don't want to beat you," Lucas said, smirking playfully.

"You won't get the chance," Dawn said returning the expression. Lucas pressed his left foot into the sandy soil and bent his right knee, ready to take off. Dawn took a similar stance and did her best to imitate Lucas, trusting that he was better acquainted with sports than she was. "O-on go?" Lucas simply nodded, locked on the target. "Alright. 3, 2, 1… GO!" she shouted as she did her best to kick off and get ahead of Lucas. She ran her hardest, her heart and feet pounding against her ribcage and ground alike. She hadn't had fun like this since she'd played with her parents in Lavender Town all those years ago. "I'm… going… to… beat… you," she exhaled in between laborious inhales. "I've got this," she thought, "He's gonna' be so impressed when I win." She almost giggled to herself as she ran. Lucas was still side-by-side with her and was thinking the same thing she was. He smiled and threw his feet faster at the ground, greatly increasing his speed and propelling him forward. As he ran with his true strength, it was revealed to the two who had the upper hand. By the time Dawn finally reached the lab, Lucas had already been waiting and catching his breath.

Lucas was ecstatic, the adrenaline rush and endorphins clearly working magic in his head. But Dawn was dejected, her head hanging low: "Arceus, he probably thinks I'm a cocky doof," she muttered to herself in between a breath.

Lucas didn't notice her expression, however. He lay in a thin patch of grass, allowing his heart and breathing rate to come to normal. "I won, but I have to give credit where it's due, Dawn," he began. Dawn's head lifted. "You gave a run for my money."

"Thanks, Lucas, but I want to know how you run so fast. I-I mean l-like halfway through you just sort of bolted and —"

"When you've been chasing _Barry_ for half your life, you pick up some speed," he chuckled. Dawn giggled with him, and the two remembered what they were there for.

Lucas got up, brushed the leaves and grass off of his back and followed Dawn to the research laboratory. Lucas had but touched the doorknob when the door swung back and a familiar golden blur appeared before them with yet another THUD. Barry glanced at Lucas and Dawn before speaking with the pace of a man on fire. "Hey, Lucas! Hey Dawn! That man in there? Super nice. He was a little scary when we first met him, but he's just trying to look out for everyone and do the right thing," he blurted at supersonic speed. He glanced at his watch, "Shit, it's going to be noon in an hour? I have an appointment at the trainer school in Jubilife; meet me there if you can!"

Lucas took the opportunity to interject and speak to him as Barry took a breath: "Barry, slow down, are you even going to let us ta—"

"Nope! Nice talkin' to you two. Have fun. Gotta' dash!" he yelled as he ran in between the two and made a beeline for the exit that led to Jubilife. Lucas just stood there, blinking before turning to Dawn. "I've been chasing _him_ since preschool; speed wasn't optional, it was _mandatory_ ," he joked. Dawn laughed as she opened the door and followed behind Lucas into the lab.

The interior was nothing like Lucas had ever seen. Upon a clean tile floor were shelves of books and information as well as glass cases of specimen and research paraphernalia. A few scientists were bustling about their business, checking instruments, transferring serums, measuring various data. At the far end of the lab stood the Professor like a regal Arcanine watching over its territory. Dawn waved to him and called out: "Professor!" Rowan noticed the two teenagers and cast a grandfatherly smile, beckoning the two to come to him.

"Well, well, look who's here," he began in his gruff, resonating voice. "What seems to be the reason for your visit?" he inquired.

"I-I would like to, uh, thank you, Professor Rowan," Lucas nervously started before collecting himself and delivering properly. "You took a chance on me by offering me a Pokemon. Had you denied, my life would have been horribly different. I am here to express my appreciation for that and to say that you did not take a chance in vain. I truly love Pokemon, and I will work with mine to make the best for the both of us," he said, his voice becoming more steady as he spoke.

Rowan kindly smiled, saying, "That Barry boy said something similar a few minutes ago. And in his case as with yours, I am glad that you have shown the maturity required to appreciate generosity and recognize the value of the gifts we are given. That day when I saw you and your friend risk your lives by running to jump in the tall grass, I observed a dangerous recklessness to achieve desires. I gave you Pokemon because such despite the presence of such recklessness, it seemed merely a minute component of a larger, more developed, character of integrity. Now, the real test arises; may I see your Pokemon?"

Lucas instantly obeyed, silently retrieving Caesar's Pokeball and handing it to the Professor. Rowan moved a small item from his pockets, which had a small hemispherical slot to fit a Pokeball. Placing the Pokeball inside, Rowan watched as a small display turned on, spouting some data and information at a pace which Lucas could barely follow. Rowan's eyes watched the display with intent stillness, taking in the volume information spouting from it with ease. "Incredible: in the few short days that you have had this Pokemon, its happiness has risen a tremendous amount. In all my years of research, I have only recorded two cases of such rapid bonding, both of which were in the Kanto region. Those two trainers are now perhaps the greatest this world has ever seen. Giving you this Piplup certainly was not a mistake. I am truly astounded by your already developing bond with this creature, and it seems as though your potential is truly beyond comprehension. I am privileged to meet a trainer such as you, and I am sure that Caesar feels the same," Rowan said, with firm respectful acknowledgment in his voice as he handed Lucas the Pokeball.

Lucas was honored. Rowan was the most revered intellectual mind in all of Sinnoh, and his acknowledgment of Lucas was something to never forget. "Thank you, Professor. I will not let you down," he said, with confident certainty and appreciation.

"I trust you won't, but I have more important matters to discuss. I must give you two these," he said reaching into the inside of his lab coat to pull out two, red devices that with screens and a camera embedded. Lucas and Dawn held the two devices in their hands; while Lucas was confused having never seen this device before, Dawn's years of research with Rowan left her with no bewilderment about the object. "This is a Pokedex. In your journeys across the Sinnoh region, you will become acquainted with many varieties of Pokemon, which, if you are wise, you will want to know more about. Use this device to assist you in that endeavor."

"Uh, Professor Rowan? N-no mean to be disrespectful or anything, but, uh, is the Pokedex empty?" Lucas hesitantly asked; he, like many other trainers, knew of how a _certain_ Kantonian would exploit children on adventures to do research for him.

"A preposterous accusation!" Rowan exclaimed, aghast. "There is only room for one senile professor in this world, and he is in Kanto. Your Pokedexes are filled completely with data on all of the Pokemon that can be found in this region, as well as some that have migrated from other regions. Simply hold your Pokedex up to the Pokemon and tap on the camera, the Pokedex should activate and yield a display with all necessary information about the creature in no time. I must tell you in advance, however, that there a few Pokemon on which we have little information. What we do know of these creatures is sourced from ancient manuscripts and legends, so we cannot differentiate the hyperbole from the truth. I do not expect you to meet these Pokemon; they appear before men perhaps once a millennium. However, should the vacancies in the Pokedex ever puzzle you, I felt it my responsibility to notify you as to why." Rowan took a leisurely sigh before smiling and speaking again: "I've been observing Pokemon and their interaction between humans for nearly 60 years, and still my heart races when I meet one of these creatures. There are countless Pokemon and thrills waiting for you out there, Lucas. Your grand adventure begins right now!" Professor Rowan emphatically exclaimed.

"P-professor Rowan, I am honored. Thank you for trusting me," Lucas said, slightly bowing his head.

"Me too," Dawn said in tandem.

Rowan smiled at the two, before turning to speak to Dawn. "Dawn, I wish you the best of luck on your journey as well, but I realize that you still carry that duffel bag from the time we left to Lake Verity a few days ago. Did you not pack the required utensils and equipment for your journey? If not, I can make arrangements for you, dear," Rowan offered with the same grandfatherly smile.

Dawn hesitated a little and then blushed before speaking: "Thank you, Professor, but I-I'm traveling with Lucas o-on the journey. We're going t-together," she said, trying to hold back her nerves and the color on her face. "Ifthat'sfinewithyou," she rapidly added. Rowan didn't say anything, but he stared into her before turning to Lucas and furrowing his brow. Lucas felt a shiver race up his spine, rendering him a paraplegic for a short moment.

"I trust Dawn's judgment. If she has chosen to go with you, perhaps there is a reason…" he said, looking at a nervous and blushing Dawn before turning back to Lucas, "which I will not pry into." Lucas held his breath, careful not to show his relief. "But," Rowan began this time with increased authority and volume in his voice, "you must give me your word that you will keep my niece safe from any harm. Do you understand, boy?"

Lucas nodded in affirmation, his spine regaining its strength as he stood straight.

"I have seen your character manifest itself, and I am truly impressed. But you should know the responsibility which I entrust to you now is something which I will hold you accountable for in _any_ and _all_ circumstances," Rowan said, his voice getting lower and fiercer. His expression then softened with numbness for a moment as reminisced a pain that he held inside him for so long: "I wasn't there to help my sister or her husband in their hour of need. I didn't save them. I could only weep after they had left me forever. I was victim to Death once, and I will not be a foolish victim once more. I cannot let what happened to them happen to poor Dawn," Rowan finished, his eyes glowing with rage. He then held himself in check and closed his eyes as he went into pensive thought. "There is a new force rising in Sinnoh. What was once a stable and peaceful land now lay in the path of a criminal organization: Team Galactic. I know not their origin, motives, or their operations, but I know their capability, and so should you. Lucas, I leave Dawn out of my care with the belief that she will be fine in yours. Am I correct in holding that belief?"

"Yes, sir. I understand what I accept, and I will keep that promise," Lucas said, with steely strength in his eyes.

"That's good, boy. Dawn, Lucas, I have some matters to attend to, now. Some new data on Pokemon evolution has turned up, courtesy of the Kalosians. I wish you good luck, and Godspeed on your journey," Rowan said, turning to go to the back of the laboratory. Dawn and Lucas looked at each other and smiled suns as they walked out of the lab.

Once they were outside, Dawn turned to Lucas, here head slightly hung in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Lucas. I-I didn't think that… that the Professor would bring up our past or put you on the spot like that."

"What are you sorry for? He was looking out for you and you did the right thing by telling him. If I were sending someone _I_ cared about on a journey, I'd make sure they were in safe hands too." Dawn smiled shyly. "Well, we should get going, right? I mean, it's almost lunchtime!"

"Y-yeah. You're right. But before we go, we should stop at the Pokemart?"

"What for?"

"Uh, Pokeballs. Duh," she joked. "You don't plan on going on your journey without catching _any_ new Pokemon, right?"

"Oh, yeah. We-we should get some of those, I guess," Lucas said, internally chiding himself for being so stupid. Dawn walked ahead of him as he followed her to the blue-roofed building not far from the Pokemon Center. The automatic doors parted as Dawn and Lucas walked inside. Lucas had never been to a Pokemart before because most of what he and his mom needed was in department stores, but he knew of these stores very well. They had a monopoly over trainer goods and items everywhere, and although their prices were stable for the most part, there was an unprecedented and recent spike across the whole of the world.

Lucas stood in awe as the mart, which to him was just a humble building from outside, housed a plethora of various articles and items neatly packed on rows of shelves. Dawn walked up to the counter, where two clerks stood, kindly awaiting customers.

"Hello and welcome to the Pokemart," one of them began.

"Hi, we're here to buy some Pokeballs. Have any in stock?" Dawn asked.

"Sure, how many?"

"I think… 20 should be good for the both of us, right?" she said, looking at Lucas who nodded affirmatively.

"Alright, that'll be 4000 dollars."

Dawn went through a side-pocket in her bag and pulled out a small roll of cash. She carefully counted out the necessary money and placed the rest back in the bag. She handed the cash to the cashier, who handed her a bag of little Pokeballs in return. "Thank you for shopping with us!" the clerk said with a cheery smile on his face. Dawn and Lucas walked out, partitioning their new inventory on the way.

"Alright, Dawn, I'm getting a little hungry. Let's get to Jubilife before lunch, okay?" Lucas said, holding his stomach.

"Well, we have to cross route 202 first, don't we?"

"Yeah, but it's not a very long route. We'll be through in about an hour. So let's get started!" Dawn smiled and started walking along the exit to Sandgem.

After a little bit of walking, they reached route 202. Lucas stepped ahead of Dawn into the first patch of grass, careful not to make too much noise and startle the Pokemon nearby. Despite his efforts to remain surreptitious, a small, fleet-footed Pokemon fluttered into his path, bringing him to a dead halt. " _STARLEE!_ " it screeched cutely.

Dawn whipped out her Pokedex to examine the creature: " _Starlee—the Starling Pokemon. Although this Pokemon is weak individually, it can form a flock for extra defense and power. This Pokemon becomes a Staraptor when fully evolved,"_ the Pokedex said in a robotic voice.

"Awesome! This Pokemon evolves into a Staraptor. That's got to be one of the strongest Pokemon in all of Sinnoh!"

"Alright, then I'm going to try to catch it! Go, Caesar!" Lucas yelled as he released the little penguin from its Pokeball. It had become better acquainted with walking as it now landed perfectly on its two feet. " _PIPLUP!"_ it cooed. Lucas knew that Caesar had higher level and speed, and decided to use this to his advantage.

"Caesar, use Pound!" Piplup leaped off the floor with greater height than in his battle with Barry, and its eyes narrowed as it locked on the black and white bird below. Lucas waited for Caesar to make contact, but as he watched Caesar, a small flash came from the Starlee as it smashed up into Caesar midair.

"What the hell?" Lucas asked, stunned by the ferocious speed of the little bird. Starlee fluttered to the floor, picking at its feathers while Caesar landed back first on the ground. "Piplup is faster, how did it get smacked out of the air like that?"

"It looks like Starlee used Quick Attack. It allows the user to always move first!" Dawn chimed in, reading from the Pokedex.

"Ergh, we'll just have to work around that then, won't we? Caesar, Growl!" Caesar dropped its tone and unleashed a fearsome grow that made the opposing Pokemon shudder. "Now! Use Growl again!" Caesar took in a breath to release the attack again, but once again, the Starlee butted it from the side before the penguin could react. Caesar seemed easy to shrug it off this time, however, as it shakily stood on its legs and narrowed its beady eyes. "Alright Caesar, use Pound!" Caesar leaped into the air one more time as it came down on the other bird with a THUD. "Perfect! Pokeball, GO!" Lucas yelled as he used running momentum to throw the ball right onto the Starlee's head.

Starlee vaporized into red energy as it went into the opened ball. The red top closed shut with a click, and the ball shook. Once. Twice. Lucas gripped his fingers harder into a fist as his knuckles cracked.

Three. Stars flew from the ball as Lucas threw his clenched fist to the sky. "I CAUGHT IT! Yeah!"

"That was great, Lucas!" Dawn said, running up to his side.

"Thank you, Dawn," Lucas said as he said, pulling the Starlee's Pokeball out. "I want to name this little guy… or is it a girl…?" He released the little bird onto the floor and it looked back up at him with its cute little face. Lucas couldn't hold back his smile as the little creature fluttered around him and landed on his right shoulder. _"STAR!"_ it chirped as it nuzzled its head against Lucas's cheek. "Lucas raised his right hand and slowly stroked its neck, causing the bird to close its eyes and coo soothingly. "So, is it a boy or a girl?" Lucas asked Dawn, hoping she had an answer.

Dawn looked down embarrassed, "I-I'm not looking there, okay?!"

Lucas laughed: "Neither am I. I thought you had a more…civilized method." Dawn shrugged, at a loss for ideas. There was a slight pause as each tried to think of an idea that would solve the problem with as little, shall we say "investigation", as possible. "Got it!" Lucas exclaimed, startling Dawn out of her thoughts. "We can use our Pokedexes!"

"That's actually a smart idea. I wish I thought of that earlier," Dawn said as she pulled out her Pokedex. "It says this one's a boy."

"A boy, huh? How about…" he said as his voice trailed off as he ran through all of the names he could possibly give his new friend. "Galahad," he said aloud as his thoughts stopped running. "Galahad: how does that sound?" The Starling Pokemon's eyes glowed with purity and power as it stared into Lucas's with determined focus before nodding in certain affirmation. "Welcome to the team, Galahad," Lucas said as he recalled the Pokemon. As he tucked the Pokeball back into his pocket, he began walking straight forward and Dawn followed suit.

There were a couple of trainers along the way, but they were no match for Lucas. He used Galahad instead of Caesar for these battle, wanting the new friend to get some experience in battle. Galahad proved himself quite useful to Lucas; Lucas could simply Quick Attack his way through Pokemon. Several hours later, the two were in Jubilife City.

"Wow! It's a huge city! Isn't it?" Dawn said as she gazed at the skyscrapers rising from every corner of the city.

"Yeah, I think it's the largest city in Sinnoh. All of the biggest industries in the region are located here: The Poketch Company, Jubilife TV, and even Nintendo."

"That's so cool! We should check them out after we go see where the Pokemon Contest center is."

"Yeah, but aren't you hungry? I mean, we skipped lunch… again," Lucas pleaded.

Dawn laughed, her smile paralyzing Lucas. She was pretty as she was, but in the orange and pink hues of the evening sky, she gave Aphrodite a run for her money.

"You're right, let's go to the Pokemon Center," Dawn agreed, walking to the Pokemon Center.

After entering the familiar red building, Lucas turned to Dawn "We'll get our room keys and eat before we go to the room this time. Sound good?"

"Sounds good. I was going to suggest the same thing," she replied, smiling. Lucas walked up to the counter and registered the two in for the night, grabbed the room keys, and dashed back to the mess where Dawn was waiting in line for him. "What's the food for today?"

"Pizza!" She excitedly said.

"Yes! Nothing like a cheesy bite of goodness to conclude a long day, huh?"

"Yep." The two quickly devoured their food faster than eyes could follow. Lucas gorged on 6 slices while Dawn helped herself to a hefty 4 slices. In just several minutes, they were on their way back to their rooms.

As they were passing the reception desk to the stair that led to the rooms, Lucas halted, suddenly remembering the note his mother left him. "Uh, Dawn?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I-I have to pick up something from the front desk. You can go to the room before and wind down if you'd like."

"It's alright, I'll come with you," she delightfully replied.

"Thank you," Lucas smiled back. He walked over to the nurse at the desk just as she turned to leave for a moment. Lucas called: "Excuse me! I'm sorry to bother you, but I was told that there's a package waiting for me. May I pick it up?"

"Sure, I need your Sinnoh ID, please," she said, turning back to the computer on the desk. Lucas pulled out his ID and gave it to her. "Your name?"

"Lucas Drake."

"Perfect. Please give me a moment; I'll be back with your delivery."

"Of course. Thank you," Lucas warmly appreciated. The nurse went back inside, leaving Lucas and Dawn outside to wait for her.

"What package is it?" Dawn asked curiously.

"I actually don't know myself. I found a note in my bag from my mother this morning, and it said that there was a surprise delivery for me."

"That sounds exciting!"

"It is, but the anxiety to know what's inside gnaws at your head like crazy," he chuckled.

A minute later, the nurse returned with a spherical object wrapped in brown wrapping paper with a small note attached on the side. This only drove Lucas nuts, as he could not take a guess at what the object inside was. The nurse handed him the object.

"This is for you. Have a good one!" she said, smiling.

"You too!" Lucas said, walking back to the stairs as Dawn followed right behind him. Lucas swiped the key and opened the door, revealing a similar room to the previous one, only this one had a one, large bed. Lucas didn't say a word as he walked in and let Dawn examine the situation herself. To his surprise, she was much more at ease than he was, not showing a sign of discomfort or concern.

"Uh, Dawn?"

"What's up?"

"Nothing, it's just… you know… there's one bed… again and I—"

"If you were going to just say that you'll sleep on the floor, I'm disinclined to acquiesce that request," she said, dropping a line from one of her favorite movies. "I thought we already established this," she said playfully.

"Lucas was beet red and shyly replied, "Heh, right. W-we did." They both set their stuff in the corner of the room by the bed, and Lucas sat down on his side of the bed, plugging his phone in. Meanwhile, Dawn walked over to the curtains and parted them, revealing a sparkling skyline and large, glassy buildings glinting the colors of their spires off of each other. Night colors from outside flowed into the room as Dawn stretched her arms, outlining her body in a rainbow.

"Beautiful," Lucas softly said, his eyes unable to divert their focus. Dawn seized the opportunity and decided to venture a _little_ further.

"What's beautiful?" she said, turning to face him.

"Fuck, she's good," Lucas thought, trying to find a nonchalant way to drop an answer. Apparently, some things are beyond the thinking of even those students accepted into Mauville University because, despite the fact that his brain was overheating, he couldn't peg an answer. He prayed for the best, hoping she wouldn't repulse at his answer and spoke softly, looking at her sparkling blue eyes. "You."

Dawn's heart fluttered: he actually said it. "That's so sweet, thank you," she said, blushing. The two just looked at the floor, smiling so the other wouldn't see.

"I-I should probably open this package I got," Lucas said, breaking the pleasant silence.

"Oh, right. Can I see what's inside?"

"Of course, sit here," he said as he moved over to give her some space on the bed. Dawn walked from the curtains and sat down next to him, eyeing the brown package he held in his hands.

Lucas didn't move for a few moments, holding the small spherical object in his hands, trying to guess at its contents. He pulled the note from the side of the wrapping paper. It was from Johana:

"Lucas, this belonged to your father, but now it is rightfully yours. I know you'll take good care of it.

Love,

Mom"

"What does the note say?" Dawn asked, her curiosity paralleling Lucas's.

"It says whatever's inside was my father's before it was mine," he said hesitantly.

"It must be something very important, then."

"I-I guess. We're about to find out," he said, finding a weak spot in the wrapping paper and gently tearing it off of the object. As the brown paper slid off, a bright red shine glinted off of the top of the sphere as a white underside was revealed underneath: a Pokeball.

"A Pokeball? That's so cool!" Dawn squealed with joy. "I wonder what's inside!"

"Let's see," Lucas calmly replied, hiding his equally raging curiosity. He pressed the button on the ball and released its resident.

A blue light pulsed out of the ball and a small, bipedal, golden lizard with large, blue eyes stood before them on the floor. A small fire on its tail heated up an otherwise dim room and melted Lucas and Dawn's hearts.

 _CHAARMANDER!_

 **Geez, that took a shit ton of time to write! First off, I know: I was supposed to add the darkness, but I need a foot to start on. Now that I have the preliminary matters covered, we can get into the meat of the story, the parts that I love to write. Also, I'm not exactly an experienced or avid writer, so any and all reviews are appreciated. Next chapter, we have Dawn's training for her contest and some… unexpected events. Thank you and cheerio everyone!**


	6. Chapter 6: First Blood

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Some _pretty_ big things are going to happen in this chapter, so if you didn't like this story so far, please give it a chance.**

Chapter 6: First Blood

Lucas and Dawn had yet another amazing movie night in their Pokémon Center room. This time, it was _Kingsman: The Secret Service_. Lucas loved this movie; he used to tell himself that when he was a lawyer, suit and all, he would get an umbrella to match just so he could look like Eggsy. Dawn, on the other hand, had never seen the movie before, but once the iconic first scene finished, her pupils swelled and she laughed along with Lucas for the rest of the movie. They watched sleeping next to each other as Charmander sat on the edge of the bed and warmed their feet with his tail-fire as he intently looked at the explosions and action on-screen. The happy air sustained itself late into the night as Lucas and Dawn talked in bed for a couple of hours after the movie ended, a half hour of which they spent finding the right name for Charmander, finally settling on Prometheus. They finally yielded to their sleepiness when dawn (when the light breaks the night, not our Dawn) was just a few hours away.

"Looooocas, get uuuup," Dawn cooed in the boy's ears as the sun began to shine through the curtains.

"What time is it?" he groaned, shifting in from a comfortable position.

Dawn didn't say anything. She couldn't. She just stared at Lucas, mum and paralyzed. His defined musculature and broad shoulders seemed more outlined now when they were placed against the paleness of the sheets.

"Uh, Dawn? You there?"

"Y-yeah. It's, uh, 8:30," she stuttered, still looking at Lucas. Lucas's eyes suddenly flashed wide open, catching a glimpse of Dawn's red face before she turned away. He smiled before doing a push-up and raising himself out of bed.

"Morning, Dawn," he said, chuckling at the unintended pun. Dawn herself giggled at the terrible joke, but she still didn't turn to face Lucas. "Hey, what's with the cold shoulder?"

"N-nothing. I-I have something in my, uh, eye," she said raising her hands to her face so her lie would hold up to _some_ scrutiny.

"Oh, try rinsing it out with water," he suggested.

"It's, uh, it's gone now, thank you," she said, not wanting to carry her façade any further.

"If it's okay with you, I'm going to go take a shower first this time," he kindly said.

"You can go ahead, I already showered while you were sleeping," she replied. Lucas cracked his knuckles and splayed his body out, stretching everything that could flex in his body. He rolled off of the bed and propped himself up immediately, moping over to the bathroom door. Dawn relaxed, her blush finally fading.

Lucas walked out of the shower a few minutes later, only to see Dawn glued to the TV. "Hey, Dawn," he began, "whatcha' watching?"

"The news. You will not _believe_ what happened," she said, her eyes revealing tension. Lucas quickly perceived the increased gravity and sat beside her on the bed, staring at the screen.

An anchor in a suit and red tie began speaking as images of a stylized letter A and M flowed in red and blue colors behind him. "Eco-terrorist organizations Team Magma and Team Aqua have been spotted again, this time in a helicopter above Mount Chimney and near the Mount Chimney exits. We cannot know what prompted these two groups to show up there, but it is safe to assume that it was for criminal activity. These two organizations have at least 50 separate counts of kidnapping, assault charges, and even have attempted murder charges against them after two of Team Aqua's members attempted to kill two trainers in a cave by Rustboro City. However, it seems as though the teams have encountered severe resistance in their endeavor on Mount Chimney. Reports and eyewitness accounts from tourists on Mount Chimney who were forced off by Team Magma and some witnesses on the ground both confirm that a mysterious young trainer with what appeared to be white hair was on the Aqua helicopter and battling the Team Magma. We can only hope that this situation will abate in intensity over time and that the peace and safety can once again be established in this region."

Lucas voice dropped to a brooding and powerful tone: "Brendan."

"Brendan? Who's that?"

"I saw him battle on TV once. He's no ordinary trainer, and he helped me choose Pokémon training as the path of choice, but I wouldn't have thought that he was battling eco-terrorists in Hoenn, much less that Hoenn had eco-terrorists in the first place," he said, trying to grasp what had just happened.

"Why do you think he's involved in this? Why would someone our age get involved in anything this dangerous?" Dawn asked, confused about the character of this Brendan.

"Men our age do this kind of stuff for only one real reason: love. Those teams made a fatal mistake of getting themselves involved in his personal life somehow: I can sense it," he said, his voice fading into a whisper as Dawn stopped looking at the TV and stared directly into his eyes. Lucas became a little worried. "D-Did I say something wrong?"

She smiled: "No, you were just incredibly right." She paused, "Is there someone you'd fight or die for?"

Lucas refused to avert his sweet gaze as they locked eyes: "Yes. If it wasn't for her, I'd have left this journey a while ago," he said with certainty. Of course, he'd picked the lawyerly way out of this one, leaving Dawn considering equal probabilities that he was talking about his mom and herself and unable to press further and obtain a confession as she usually would have. But such vagueness usually pointed in one direction. "Dawn? You in there?" he said, waving his hand in front of her entranced face.

"Y-yeah. L-let's get to the mess," she said, her cheeks once again becoming rosy. She and Lucas collected all of their items from the room and left it ten minutes later. Lucas checked them out of their room and he and Dawn feasted on a nice breakfast before they headed out into the crisp winter air of Jubilife.

"Where to, Captain?" Dawn emphatically asked. Lucas simply raised an eyebrow playfully. "Yeah, I'll see myself out," she joked.

"To be honest, I have not much of an idea. I say we take a walk around Jubilife and see what's here and then practice for your contest."

"Really? Y-you'll help me?" she said, flattered that Lucas would go out of his way to focus on her.

"Yeah, of course. If we're not going to be helping each other, why be on a journey with each other, right?" Dawn nodded. Lucas began to take a right and head back out onto the main road, where they took yet another right and headed north. They were at the East-end of the Pokémon Center when tall man in a brown trench coat stood against the wall, looking out onto the street in front of him. They stopped walking confused but alerted to his presence. The man began to rapidly walk from one side of the street to the other, perhaps trying to survey a passerby. "What do we do?" Dawn said, a bit worried. "Don't worry. I'll keep you safe, I promise," he said in an assuring and firm tone, causing Dawn to almost melt with a sweet feeling. "We'll just walk right through. It's broad daylight and if anything screwy happens I'm perfectly willing to use force." They walked forward into the man's path, hoping that he would walk around them. That did not happen.

He suddenly halted right in front of them and faced them with surprise and awe. Lucas tensed his muscles and stepped in front of Dawn, ready to pounce at the slightest hint of danger. "WHAT? No… no. My disguise was perfect, I blended in so well with the ambiance. How did you do it? How did you unmask me as a member of the International Police?" he said, astounded by their mere presence.

Lucas relaxed at the word "police". "Listen, sir. We're just trainers and we didn't know you were a member of the IP. We simply happened to run into you while touring this city. We'll pretend like we never met you and continue on our ways if that complies with your protocol," Lucas kindly offered, trying to remove tension from the situation.

The man smirked: "Heh, you claim that you're meager trainers, but I sense that you must be something more. You recognized instantly that I was someone extraordinary. That is why you spoke to me. I must say, your observational capacity is fearsome even to me," he said taking a long enough pause for Lucas to think "Did this man escape Arkham?" The man continued: "Now that I have no secure cover, let me introduce myself. I am a globe-trotting elite member of the International Police. My codename is Looker. We've received reports of a potential terrorist organization known as Galactic to be stealing Pokemon and scientific items from all over Sinnoh. The Pokemon League requested our aid in executive enforcement and so here I am, conducting visual surveys of the public and trying to catch anyone suspicious. It's in big cities like this that the worst attacks happen," he said, solemnly looking at two enormous skyscrapers that rose out of the ground a few blocks away from them. Lucas instantly knew what Looker was talking about, and his suspicions of the man instantly dissipated. "Assuming you truly are trainers, may I ask you of a favor?"

"Sure," Lucas said.

"Thank you. I want you two to take these," he said, handing them blue devices with some sort of tracking features on them. After Lucas and Dawn took the devices and placed them in a special pocket, Looker continued: "Use these to record statements or actions of any suspicious trainers you battle and send the intel to me. Got it? I need your help to save potential lives, here," he said, his voice increasing its desperate tone.

"Got it."

"Thank you. Now, I want to tell you that you can also record and remember the names of trainers you may want to talk to again in this, but you may want to use your phone for that."

"Yeah, we'll probably use our phones but thank you for telling us."

"I will retire to my work now but should inform you of one more thing. If you see _any_ potential criminal activity related to Galactic or terrorism, you may, no you _must_ , report it to me. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Lucas strongly affirmed.

"Good, now I'll be off. I wish you two luck on your journeys!" the Looker called as he bolted North and out of their view.

Dawn simply stood there, blinking. "What just happened?"

"We're unpaid interns for the international police," Lucas replied. Dawn laughed at his joke and then smiled at him, causing him to almost involuntarily smile back. "Well, we were taking a walk around the city, weren't we?"

"Yeah."

"There are lots of places to see, and not a lot of time. So let's get going!" he exclaimed. Dawn nodded and followed behind him as she and Lucas zigzagged through the throngs and crowds, and they soon were smiling and gaping together at the massive structures that loomed overhead. Everything bustled with life and activity. Toy stores, pizza places, you name it: their colorful boards and displays seem to be so humble and inviting that they ignited countless conversations between Lucas and Dawn as the clopping of hard-heeled shoes against the concrete filled the air.

"Would you ever want to live in a city like this?" Dawn asked Lucas, trying to find out more about the boy she'd spend the next months with.

"I-I don't know. I like more suburban areas, where things are quiet but you can find a community and a people. I'm not really a city person I guess. How about you?"

"I'm not a city person either. I want a life where I can have fun with family and friends and not get all caught up in the hectic activity of the environment, you know?"

"Guess we kind of want the same things then, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess we do," she said, radiantly smiling at him. She and Lucas walked a bit further when they crossed a massive grey building with red tinted windows on one side and white tinted windows on the other. Its colors glowed in the sun and spread its hues to the surrounding area, adding fresh perspective and color everywhere. "What building is that?" Dawn asked, awed by its architecture and design.

"You and I are wearing its apparel," he said looking particularly at Dawn's wrist.

"No way, that's Poketch company? Are we allowed to go inside and have a tour or something?"

"Trust me, Barry and I have tried, but unfortunately they won't let you in unless you have special access."

"Aw, that sucks."

"You know what doesn't suck though?"

Dawn sensed a change in topic coming and was curious to see where Lucas would take the conversation. "What?"

"That burger-joint over there, it's called In-N-Out, and that is what puts heaven out of business. Barry and I used to go here all the time. The food _always_ hits the spot."

"Is it that good?"

"You better believe it is. Come one, I'll show you. I know all the menu items and I know their secret menu, too."

"Alright, Lucas. I believe you. Let's stop there for lunch and go out for training, ok?" They walked to the intersection of a street where they waited for the traffic to clear before crossing. As they crossed the street to head over to the premium burger joint, Dawn could feel the glorious smell of fries and fast food flowing out of the restaurant's doors and gaped at the massive line that preceded the order computer. "Is it always this busy, Lucas?"

"No, today is a light day," he said, smiling at Dawn's unawareness about the wonders inside. 20 minutes later, Lucas and Dawn had approached the cashier and began their order. Lucas took charge and ordered three cheeseburgers and one order animal-style fries. Dawn's eyes widened at the mention of the last order.

"That'll be 100 dollars," the cashier said. Lucas fished out his Sinnoh ID and paid with the winnings he earned from his first two battles. "Your order number is 72," the cashier said as she handed Lucas his card, "Your order will be ready in about 15 minutes."

"Thank you," Lucas said as he nodded and took Dawn outside to sit at a small, empty table. Dawn sat opposite to Lucas and rested her hands on the table, folded and relaxed.

"Lucas," she began, "what are animal fries?" she asked, her discomfort evident in her voice.

"Let me guess, you're a vegetarian?"

"No, it's just that it sounds… kind of primitive and weird."

Lucas laughed heartily as he almost fell out of his seat. "What's so funny?" Dawn asked, playfully frustrated.

"Well, animal style means that the item is cooked in mustard and served with molten cheese, caramelized onions, and a thousand-island style dressing."

"Stop, that sounds so delicious."

"You bet your arse it is. It's what makes this restaurant better than anything else around here," he said, pausing for a moment before speaking again, "You know, I actually have no clue how contests work. I want to help you out and all, but I figured I couldn't do that if I didn't know the rules, right?"

"You're sweet enough to help me out, the least I could do is tell you the rules. So there are two parts to the contest, the appeals round and the battle round. In the appeals round, you make your Pokémon do cool tricks and stunts to try to wow the audience. Your points for that are scored out of 30 by three judges. The second round is the battle round, where you participate in a battle tournament bracket one on one with other opponents. In each battle, you start with one hundred points: the worse you battle, the more points you lose. The person with the most points before time is called wins!"

"That's a complicated set of rules!"

Dawn giggled, "Yeah, but it gets easier to memorize once you see them in action." As she said that, the announcer on the speaker system turned on and called on their order number. Lucas stood up to get their food and was back a minute later with their order and some ketchup. "Arceus, that looks so good," Dawn said with delight.

"It tastes good, too." Needless too say, they were both fighting over the last pieces of the animal fries a few minutes later, and Dawn was eyeing Lucas's last burger like a predator. Lucas got Dawn some extra fries and the menial conflict sorted itself out. Lucas and Dawn threw away their trash and slung on their backpacks once more to leave.

"Where are we going to train for my contest?" Dawn asked Lucas with large eyes and grin.

"Um… route 203 is a pretty wide route, so we should have plenty of room to battle and practice," Lucas suggested.

"I like that idea," she returned. They started out back onto the main street and passed the Poketch building to go east to Route 203 when the doors of the building opened and a tall man with a finely trimmed beard and custom fit black suit walked out. Dawn gasped: "Is that _the_ Roger Cook, the one who founded Poketch?"

"That's him. Let's not get too close, though."

"Why?"

"Mobs form pretty fast. This is the paparazzi district. Moreover, Jubilife isn't the safest place in Sinnoh. Muggings and shit like that happen when crowds form." And true to his word, a mob began to coalesce around the celebrity and nearly drowned him in a sea of camera flashes and screeches from fans. Lucas and Dawn began to quickly move, trying to leave the vicinity and avoid the forming throng. But as the two navigated out of the mass, another throng that attempted to merge obstructed their path and threatened to separate the two. Lucas held his ground and easily shielded himself from the stampeding bodies, but Dawn was easily jostled and was almost pushed back to where they started.

Lucas whirled around, trying to find her white beanie amongst the ebbing throng and found her being pushed back several yards away. Her eyebrows were held high and her mouth moved, but he couldn't hear what she said: she was distressed. He took a deep breath in and bellowed: "DAWN!" There was no audible response, but Dawn's eyes began to dart around, looking for Lucas. Lucas quickly charged his way through the crowd and parted people until he was within arm's reach of Dawn, who was struggling to stand at this point. She recognized his hat as it stood out against the heads of the people around him and immediately turned to face him, hoping he could do something to help her. By now the crowd had slowed down but still would not dissipate, leaving Dawn stuck behind two tall men with cameras who would not budge. Lucas forced his hand out, almost knocking a man over, and grabbed Dawn's hand. Dawn grabbed back and held tightly while Lucas planted his feet and tightened his own grip. He flung his weight back and contracted his biceps with full force, releasing Dawn from gridlock and rapidly pulling her towards him.

Dawn didn't reduce her momentum; she kept moving until she hit Lucas and clung to him fiercely, closing her eyes shut. Lucas simply smiled her and wrapped his arms around her protectively. "It's fine, Dawn. Just stay close by and we can get out of here real quick, alright?" Dawn nodded, still holding Lucas's arm tightly. Lucas then turned to face the crowd, his eyebrows lowering as he glowered at the sheep around him. Enough was enough. He used his free hand to bat and push locked paparazzi as he used his brute force to shred a path out of the crowd. As Lucas finally parted the final people blocking their exit, he turned back to see Cook's bodyguards do to the crowd what he just did a few minutes ago.

He looked at Dawn, who still clung to his arm as though it was a piece of driftwood in the ocean. "Dawn? Uh, we've been out for a while now. You can let go," he said, chuckling a bit. She suddenly flung her eyelids open and saw Lucas smiling gently at her. Coming to her senses, she quickly let go of his arm and wildly blushed as she looked downwards to the floor, holding her hand and shyly looking away. She was the cutest girl Lucas had ever seen; of that, there was no doubt.

Then Lucas remembered why they were there: "Are you ready to get to 203?"

"Oh, yeah. Right," Dawn replied, walking behind Lucas as they took the massive inclined road that met the wide route ahead of them. They didn't travel too far into the Route before they made a left turn just beyond a patch of wild grass to begin their practice. They found a quiet, secluded spot where they could be sure that no one near would use espionage and steal their ideas. Dawn set her bag down as Lucas slung his off to keep next to hers.

"Well, got any ideas?" Lucas asked, not knowing what standards were used in the contests.

"Yeah, I'm using Hazel for the contest. I'm not going to catch any new Pokémon just yet," she confidently said.

Lucas was confused. "Wait what? You've only battled a few bug catchers with Hazel. There are more powerful Pokémon on this Route, maybe you should see what moves they can use," he suggested.

"But Hazel knows Ember. Fire types are bred to know elemental moves by birth, so Hazel is my best bet. Remember, contests are not just about raw power but grace and beauty," she said, releasing Hazel from her Pokeball, "and I think Hazel has just that." The little fire monkey yawned and coughed a bit of flame before her tail flashed blue and her eyes narrowed, ready for action.

"Then I suppose I can throw out Prometheus as an opponent?" he said, wanting to give Dawn a fight while training his newest teammate.

"That's perfect. Fire resists fire anyways, so we can have multiple long battles without either Pokémon getting two hurt," she approvingly said. Lucas smirked as he released his Charmander. Prometheus landed with a soft THUD as it looked across the field at the Chimchar. The two glowered at each other momentarily before noticing a striking similarity between the two: tails. Both ran to each other at a rapid pace, much to their trainer concern, and smacked their tails together, creating a little orange fireball that drifted upwards and shattered into bits of fire and brightness. There was a small flash as ember floated in the air and the heat from the dissipation released a steady warmth. Both Pokémon stood as stunned at their trainers at their accidental creation of beauty. Hazel then to laugh and turned to Dawn as she started clapping happily. Prometheus wagged his tail as he jumped up and down and squealed with tremendous joy, slightly burning the grass underneath him every time his tail hit the ground.

"I think we've a starting place for the appeals round?" Lucas asked, wondering if what just happened could help Dawn put points on the board.

"More than a starting point," Dawn said, tasting victory in her mind.

Dawn and Lucas had wrapped up their training for the day several hours later, and Dawn was set to participate in the contest the next day. They were exhausted, and their Pokémon were equally tuckered out. Their feet prodded on the incline that led from the route back to the city as the sun began to set and the sky once again attained a dim, orange hue.

"Isn't it beautiful, Lucas?" Dawn endearingly asked, entranced by him and the sunset.

But Lucas was silent, much to Dawn's discontent. His focus was elsewhere, on someone else. His vision narrowed to center on two men standing at the edge of the incline in Jubilife, staring at him and Dawn with near vicious intent. Lucas quickly sized the two up the two, expecting danger to arise soon. The two were in uniform, each bearing a golden letter "G" on the front of their chests, aquamarine colored hair with unsettling bowl cuts, and what seemed to be unfinished grey and white spacesuits.

"Lucas?" Dawn asked again, breaking his focus on the enemy, "Isn't it beautiful? The sunset?"

Lucas decided it would be best to avoid a fight and began talking to Dawn so as to not arouse their suspicions. "Yeah, it's very pretty. It almost makes the city glow, doesn't it?" Dawn happily nodded and moved a bit closer to Lucas's side, unaware of the perceived threat ahead of them. Lucas and Dawn had reached the end of the incline and proceeded to walk back to the Pokémon Center when the sound of boots against concrete grew louder.

"OI, YOU!" a voice shouted behind them. Lucas spun around to face the aggressor, and sure enough, it was one of the two uniformed people who stood at the edge of the incline. "Who the fuck does you think you are, walking all up in here like you own the fucking place. You doesn't get to be here unless we, Team Galactic, will it? Catch that dumbass?"

Lucas deepened his voice into a near brooding growl and spoke with fearsome steadiness and conviction: "We're not interested in meddling with your business, whatever it may be. My friend and I have had a long day, and we'd like to get back to the Pokemon Center to conclude today's activities with some much-needed respite. Now if you two gentlemen would move aside, we'll be on our way without any trouble."

"Dropped as a baby, mate? We said you doesn't get to go in unless we say so. Now fuck off, or we'll make you," the other grunt said, reaching to grab a Pokeball.

"W-we don't want to hurt anybody," Dawn began, thrusting herself into the impending conflict, "We just want to go back and rest for a while."

The first grunt smirked at Dawn, "You're a pretty one, lassie, so I'll let you off a little easy than the bugger on your right if you give me… a favor." The two grunts began laughing maniacally as Lucas's eyebrows lowered and he put the necks of the two grunts into focus: he wanted to gash them.

"I'm going to say it one more time. We're not here for a fight, but we're also not pacifists. If you make a move, we're not going to simply turn the other cheek. This is your final warning," Lucas firmly stated, planting his feet and readying his fists.

"Is you giving us a warning? You done fucked up, mate. Now we's gonna take your shit and your pretty lady friend," the first grunt said grabbing his Pokeball. "And don't worry, you'll get to watch front row," the other grunt said.

"Leave her out of this. This is between you and me," Lucas said, stepping in front of Dawn and putting his arm protectively in front of her. He wasn't going to lose her, not to these people.

"L-Lucas i-is going to get hurt. I-I have to help him," Dawn thought as she pushed his arm aside and stepped forward, now filled with unwavering anger. "It's fine with me," Dawn said. Lucas was stunned. "It's clear who has the bigger balls anyway, considering you two are dressed like girls. I say we prove it in a battle, two on two."

"I like girls with a fight in them. Deal!" the first grunt growled, throwing his Pokeball, releasing a Zubat. Lucas remained unbroken, he released Caesar as Dawn released Hazel. The two Pokémon, now fairly experienced, landed perfectly on their feet and stared down the enemy. The second grunt threw his Pokeball as well, releasing a Stunky.

Dawn decided to start the battle by setting it up in their favor: "Hazel! Use leer on Stunky!" Hazel bared its teeth and narrowed its eyes, creating a menacing face as it growled with rage and anger at the Stunky, which wavered and shivered with fear. A small blue aura flashed from the top of its head down to its feet: its defense fell.

"Dumbfuck! It did _nothing_!" the Grunt screamed.

Lucas decided to seize the opportunity Dawn created: "Caesar, Pound on that Stunky, too!" Caesar jumped a little and allowed its little feet to gain some momentum before it propelled itself into the sky and ready itself to belly flop on the Stunky. It neared the skunk animal as and closed its eyes, readying itself for the impact of the hit.

"Wurmple, String Shot!" The Wurmple released a white, milky web all across the battlefield and threaded Caesar midair, restricting his wings as he wiggled and writhed in the air, unable to control his trajectory and giving Stunky enough time to move out of the way.

"Caesar! Break out of there!" Lucas called, but it was no use. Caesar landed on his back with a noise that made Lucas wince.

The two grunts began laughing maniacally. "You idiots thought you'd win? We's going to put you in your fu—"

"Hazel! Use Ember on Stunky!" Hazel built up a small face in its mouth and spat it at Stunky, which was hit by the attack head-on. It reared on its legs and screeched in pain as the searing heat from the attack burned its face and eyes.

"Great shot! Now! Caesar, use Pound! One more time!" Lucas called. Caesar wriggled out of the webs shot by Wurmple once again took to the air, falling with increased speed on top of the Skunk Pokémon.

"Stunky! Run!" the grunt shouted in terror, as the Piplup smirked viciously from above.

"W-wurmple! String Shot, again!" the other grunt yelled. Wurmple released the webby substance once more, but the attack missed, only hitting Stunky and slowing its escape from the now diving Caesar. Stunky crawled away desperately, its legs bound by the String Shot, but as it moved a bit further, embers erupted from its burn wound and Pokémon collapsed, unable to move. Caesar then made contact, pummeling the Stunky and immobilizing it. Caesar stood proudly over its victim as it glowed white for a split second. The trainers covered their eyes as Caesar radiated before looking at the Piplup again.

"It learned a new move!" Dawn cheered as Piplup dashed back to Lucas's side for the next round of attacks.

"What move?" Lucas asked, whipping out his Pokedex. Lucas looked closely for a second, noticing that under Caesar's heading, a new move appeared: Bubble.

"Perfect! Caesar use Bubble on Wurmple!" he shouted, hoping to see the effects of this new attack.

"Hazel! You use Ember! Let's finish this!" Dawn cried in tandem. The two Pokémon reared their heads and threw their whole bodies forward to release the attacks. Large and thick bubbles raced from Caesar while hot embers came from Hazel.

"Gaaah! W-Wurmple, d-dodge it!" the Grunt cried, foreseeing his failure. It was no use, but just as the attacks were about to hit their target, they intersected each other right in front of the Wurmple's face. Instead of gaining power and destroying the Pokémon, the two attacks simply countered each other as the fire disappeared and the bubbles were popped into steam before they could do any real damage.

Lucas stood, aghast. "How? We had the bloody thing pinned!" he cried.

"Wurmple, tackle on Chimchar; let's get that bitch out of the way!" Dawn didn't have time to call a counter as the Wurmple collided with Hazel, knocking her out.

"You did well, Hazel," she said gently, recalling her partner back into her Pokeball.

"Would you look at that!" the grunt cried, "We're down to one versus one! Now, you can surrender, walk your sorry arse back out, and give us our _prize_ , or we can beat you to a fucking pulp and take her ourselves."

"Even Arceus cannot save you, now," Lucas said with a vicious glare. In the blink of an eye, he recalled Caesar and threw out Galahad, who fluttered over the air above the trainers before taking full flight and circling the Wurmple steadily, waiting for Lucas's order.

"Galahad, use Quick Attack!" Lucas roared. Galahad's eyes glowed a pure and radiant white as he locked onto his prey and swooped in. The attack was almost instinctive for him; this was how he hunted in the wild.

"Meet the atta—" the grunt cried before he was cut off by the WHACK of Galahad knocking Wurmple out cold. Lucas, still panting with rage and anger, recalled Galahad and stared the enemy down with unmistakable malice. The first grunt collapsed in fear and defeat. "Saturn's going to kill us for this," he muttered, shivering and weak. The other grunt, at first shocked and paralyzed, sprinted at a breakneck pace in the direction of the Jubilife Condominiums, pulling out a phone and making a call to someone and yelling at them in a panic.

Lucas wasted no time in bolting after him, nearing him in a few seconds. As he ran beside the terrified grunt, Lucas raised his fist, clapping the grunt over the nose and causing him to crash into the asphalt. Lucas caught the phone as it flew out of the incapacitated grunt's hands, crushing it in his fierce grip. He stood over the groaning grunt, who could barely move and attempted to crawl away with one hand. "P-please don't kill me. PLEASE!" he begged.

"I'm one to listen to "please" and "thank you" now. You should have said that a while ago. Now, I want to you to tell me who you called, where they are, and what they're doing, and maybe I'll let you go," Lucas said, unmasking his true power to the grunt.

"I-I'm not allowed to; we're bound by—" he began before Lucas grabbed his arm and began squeezing and twisting it with calculated brute force.

"AAH! I'll speak! I'll SPEAK!" he cried, tears streaming down his bloodied face. "They're two more grunts in the second floor first condominium on 3rd Street. I-I don't know what they're doing; we was told to keep guard and block everyone who tried to the city. Please believe me. I-I don't know anything else."

"Thank you for cooperating, but I'm not done with you," Lucas said, much to the grunt's total fear. Lucas turned around to see Dawn running towards him, only a few steps away. "I'm going to ask you to apologize to that beautiful young girl over there. She means a lot to me, and when dicks like you spout shit like that, I can't let it go until you announce defeat with your head in the dirt, got it?" he said just as Dawn was in earshot. She was enraged and tense, as anyone would be in a situation such as this, but she felt a warm rush of elation at his words.

"I-I'm sorry. Please. I'm sorry…" the grunt wept, finally fainting from stress and fear.

"What happened?" Dawn almost happily asked, still marveling at the lengths Lucas had gone to save her. Lucas however, was still in the adrenaline-rushed mode of a warrior awaiting battle.

"There are to more grunts inside there," he said, pointing to the house the grunt had mentioned. "They're doing something in there and I have a hunch it's something criminal. We have to do something. You call the police and follow right behind me, OK?" he asked.

"I don't think we should get involved, Lucas. I-I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't get too hurt; I promise. But whatever those grunts are doing in there is so secretive and illegal that they had grunts stand guard. We have to do something because, for all we know, someone might die if we don't intervene." Dawn nodded firmly and then dialed the emergency hotline, reporting the incident and the location of the new suspects as Lucas bolted at top speed towards the house. Dawn soon completed the call and trailed right after him.

Lucas arrived at the house with Dawn arriving only a minute and a half later. By the time she arrived, however, Lucas was holding Prometheus, who was using ember to melt the lock that bolted the door. Lucas and Dawn kicked the door down together and charged upstairs where they found two grunts, one male and the other female, holding a bloodied man in a lab coat by the neck.

"Tell us where it is, and we'll let your nerdy ass live, you dig?" she spat at him. The scientist was now gasping for air, and finally reached into his pocket and handed them something. The male grunt smiled and dropped the scientist on the floor.

"We got what we need. Now let's get out and—"

"Stop whatever you're doing and we'll let you live," Lucas said dauntlessly, cutting him off from the exit while Dawn stood to his right. "We've called the police already, and they'll be here in a few. You can give up now, and this'll all be over without a hitch."

"Funny," the female grunt began, "we was told by the other grunt that you'd be here, but you're too late anyway." She turned to face the old scientist, "Sorry old man, we can't have you spitting answers to these people. It was nice knowing you for a miserable few hours," she said, removing a knife from a sheath in her belt and lodging it near his heart. The man screamed in agony as Dawn held her hands over her mouth in horror. Lucas and the male grunt didn't budge, their mentality simply focused on removing the threats at hand. The female grunt slid the man off of her blade by pressing her foot into his chest. The man slumped to the floor, wheezing. Dawn staggered as she could barely comprehend what she saw, but it only enraged Lucas and convinced him further to destroy the two before him.

"I guess we'll have to break through you two," the female grunt said as she turned her knife to Lucas. The male grunt pulled his knife out as well.

"Galactic doesn't have enough Pokémon yet to go around for every grunt, so we got knives instead. Don't worry, though; we was trained in combat, and we can make your death painless," the first grunt threatened while making slashing moves with his knife.

"Trained in combat? We'll see," Lucas smirked. He raised his fists and dug his feet into the floor, ready to kick into action and deliver true hell to these killers. The two grunts charged him head on as Lucas smiled; he was born for this. He stood perfectly still for a few moments as they charged wildly, before suddenly dropping down and extending his right leg into the moving feet of the female grunt. He balance was thrown off and she was thrown into the floor head first, while the male grunt missed his attack as Lucas was too low. The female grunt crawled quickly to Lucas, pushing him down and raising her knife with both hands for the killing strike. Lucas seized the opportunity and grabbed her throat, squeezing her airway completely shut and throwing her like a rag doll to the side. He then rolled over as the knife of the other grunt sliced into the ground where his chest once was. The grunt struggled to pull his knife out of the ground, but Lucas was already on his feet. He stepped towards the grunt before whirling around rapidly and sending his leg into the face of the grunt with a powerful spinning hook kick.

The grunt shuddered with the force of Lucas's attack as a loud crack resonated around the room. Lucas ran to the male grunt, pushing his wilted body to the side as he quickly plucked the knife from the floor. Rolled over as the female grunt tried to slice him with an underhanded stroke. Lucas once again planted his feet, ready for her next move. She once again charged Lucas with full force. Lucas stood his ground, trying to construct a method to take her out. When she was almost within arm's reach, he reacted.

He threw the knife in his hand at her hand which held the knife, causing a gash to open up from her wrist to her shoulder. The grunt screamed in pain as she dropped her knife into Lucas's waiting hands. Lucas turned his back to her, raising his elbow into her chin and spun around again to kick her squarely in the chest, sending her flying onto her partner. The two grunts wobbled to their feet as they regained their focus and readied themselves for another assault. "We're done playing, lad. Now, we're really gonna smother your blood on the fucking walls!" the male grunt shouted.

"You're welcome to try," Lucas confidently said. This time Lucas charged the grunts, who were caught off guard by his move and simply took mutually defensive stances. Lucas then leaped off of his right foot and used the faces of the two grunts as platforms to push off of to an ever higher position. He flipped himself over as he was in the air, making his head face the ground, and threw his knife into the back of the male grunt, who roared with pain. As he came down, he grabbed the handle of the knife and pulled down the blade from the back of the grunt all the way to his leg, creating a gash almost three feet in length. The grunt simply collapsed, bleeding profusely. The female grunt swung at Lucas, trying desperately to land a blow, but Lucas simply ducked or moved out of the way. She became more lagged and tired as her swings slowed and lost their power.

Lucas decided to end it there and suddenly grabbed both her fists in his unyielding grip. The grunt tried to wriggle free, but his grip only tightened. The sounds of cracking bones and knuckles could be heard as the grunt wailed in agony and frustration. Lucas then slammed his head into her, knocking her out. Lucas stood over his victims, breathing heavily and adrenaline still flowing through him. Dawn stood across him in the room, watching with awe as the boy she'd traveled so happily with suddenly became a whole other person when the moment called. Despite his terrifying capacity for destruction, she never felt safer.

Lucas looked at her, his eyes revealing an apology. "Dawn, I-I'm so sorry that I—"

"No, don't be," she said, running over and hugging him tightly. Tears streamed down her now rose-colored cheeks as Lucas, hugged her back gently. Soon, red and blue lights filled the room, coating the blood-stained floors in a deep but bright flashes that battled the darkness of the sky outside.

 **Thanks for reading this LONG chapter. I hoped you liked it, but if not, don't be afraid to leave honest criticism. Cheerio Everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7: Pairs

**So you might be wondering what excuse I have for not writing at all for almost 3 weeks. Well, I had college applications due and that took a lot out of me, and just this past few days some serious tragedies hit my community. I live only 5 minutes from the Thousand Oaks, California bar shooting, and it was a terrible tragedy to wake up to because me and my friends knew a few of the names of the people there and shot. The same day that happened, wildfires erupted around our community. Nearly all of my friends and I evacuated at one point as the flames lapped up the vast swaths and stretches of shrubbery in this chaparral desert environment. 30 homes were burnt and schools and churches were damaged. We grieved for a short while, but spent the next few days in recovery trying to get our communication systems back up (many fiber-optic cables were cooked in the fire, cutting many people's phone, TV, and internet for days). There are no casualties from this fire yet, but I cannot say the same about the fires ravaging Northern California, where 9 people have already died, burned alive by the ferocious flames. I tell you, kind readers, this not to elicit sympathy or to play heartstring, but in the hopes that you will donate much needed resources to help repair this part of our nation. There are many fundraising campaigns online, and I beseech that you donate to one of them. If you are in the area and able, please go to your local fire station and donate! I sincerely thank you for aiding us and everyone suffering form these calamities.**

 **And I know I promised you guys Dawn's first contest this chapter, but after some due consideration, I have decided to scrap that idea; we'll see her compete next chapter, for real. Also, thank you to Rylek for spotting a bunch of errors and mistakes in the last chapter; things really turned into a shitstorm as the chapter closed and now I've decided to makes the amends required in this chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed (I really mean it and I hate that text can't reveal facial expression) and I'm glad that I've upheld my promise to reply to every review. Anyways, here's chapter 7.**

Chapter 7: Pairs

Dawn clung to Lucas, trembling. She was safe now, and she knew it. But more than anything, she was terrified. Terrified that she could be attacked and…used by a criminal syndicate. Terrified because a man may have just been killed before her eyes. And most of all, terrified that the boy she'd been traveling with, the one that she thought was sweet and kind, had a perfectly masked side that had just been unleashed, resulting in the permanent incapacitation of two grown people. Yet she still clung to him.

Lucas, on the other hand, was still cold and observant of his surroundings, as though the bodies that lay at his side could reanimate themselves and attack him once again. He panted heavily as footsteps could be heard rushing up the stairs. A plump police officer and his partner barged through the door that led to the room. Both froze almost immediately; three bodies lay sprawled in pools of blood on the floor. Knives coated in glistening red lay scattered next to them. And in the center of the carnage sat two innocent teenagers hugging each other as though their lives depended on it.

"I didn't sign up for this, sir," the younger officer said, mortified by what he saw.

"None of us did, kid. But it's still part of the job," the older officer replied, a grim sternness in his voice. "I'm going to ask you guys a few questions and answer honestly because we already have some information on you two. We met two people not far from here, both badly hurt, who said they were attacked by you. These two people also told us that you were at this address because you were going to kill one of their mates. Right now, things don't look so good for you, so you better start talking, okay?" he said before turning to the bottom of the stairs and asking paramedics to come upstairs.

Lucas began speaking as paramedics took the bodies out: "Sir, all of my actions were done in self-defense, and I can say the same for her. The two people outside blockaded the entrance into the city illegally and used criminal threats to discourage us from entering. We disregarded and proceeded without much fear until they…" he paused and his face twisted with utter disgust as he recalled what the grunts had said to Dawn.

"They threatened to abuse me," Dawn sternly filled in. She continued for Lucas "When we tried to proceed again, they threw out the Pokémon and threatened us once more. By this time, we battled them and defeated them as per proper rules of combat."

"That still doesn't explain what the hell you two are doing here and why there were three bodies around you or why one of those grunts was perhaps permanently traumatized," the officer scolded.

"Sir, after we had beaten the grunts, one of them ran in this direction, calling someone and telling them to run. We had to assume that whoever they were talking about was up to something criminal and that lives could be at stake. So I… I chased after him and beat him until he told us what he knew. He said there was an operation going on in here he had to stand guard for, but he didn't know what it was about. I then ran over to the address that he pointed out while she called the emergency hotline. By the time I melted the lock with my Pokémon and reached upstairs with her, there were three people in here: the scientist, and the two grunts. At the sight of us, they coerced the scientist into delivering some data and proceeded to drive a knife into his chest. I do not know if the wound was fatal or not. These two grunts in here didn't have Pokemon, but they had knives. They both attacked me so hit back in self-defense. Within a minute or two I had them immobilized, sir."  
"Is that it? A self-defense case? Lady, do you corroborate that?"

"Yes, sir. Every word of it," Dawn firmly replied.

"Alright, there seems not to be enough evidence as of now to incriminate you two of any crime, but should we find any evidence that suggests you two had prior intent to kill before walking in here, then we can charge you with murder," the older officer said, turning to walk back down the stairs.

"Uh, sir?" Lucas cautiously asked, "Don't I have to stand trial. I killed at least one man. Even if I am innocent, I have to prove I'm not guilty in court, right?"

"Haven't you watched much of the news, kid? After what happened in Hoenn over the past few months, many nations have passed CSL or Criminal Syndicate Laws, so if you attack any one of the members of these teams in self-defense and there is not enough evidence pointing to prior intent to kill or maliciously harm, then we cannot prosecute you. And one more thing, and I'm telling you this as a father, not a cop."

"What is it, sir?"

"You're an idiot."

Lucas was taken aback. What part of saving lives and preventing assault did this police officer find idiotic? "With all due respect, sir," he began, "I don't see how I did anything wrong."

"You put your own life at risk for no good cause. You have a mother and father, right? Did you think about what they would say or do if these two grunts had gotten a lucky stab at your heart or neck? I think not. Defending yourself in the moment like what happened at the entrance to the city is one thing, but going rogue _seeking_ trouble and crime to exterminate it is plain stupid. _You_ don't have a badge. _You_ don't have the uniform."

"But _I_ had the morals, sir, and that's all I need to get something done."

"And that's ironically what makes it stupid because your morals wouldn't have made a difference here, only your pragmatism and your practicality; kid, listen, that scientist would have been dead whether or not you made it in time. In fact, the news of your arrival probably made them stab him." These words ricocheted in Lucas's heart, tearing him apart. If the officer was right, _he_ was responsible for the death of that scientist. He hung his head down in abject shame when the officer spoke again: "Hey, at least the law was on your side, so I wouldn't get think you were a bad person or something. Besides, how could you have ever known what was happening here? Next time, I suggest not heading head-first into an issue like this, understood?"

"Understood."

"Good. Carter, we are preparing a case file for…" he turned to Lucas and Dawn "what are your names?"

"Lucas Drake and Dawn Avery," Lucas filled in as the partner officer took notes. "We're both eighteen years old. I'm from Twinleaf, and she's from Sandgem."

"Alright, that's about enough information for specifics. Thank you," the older officer said, pausing for a second to allow his younger partner to finish writing. "Now, we can drop you two home if you'd like."

"No, thank you, officer. We'll walk. The Pokemon Center isn't too far away anyway," Dawn replied.

"Suit yourselves. And, uh, Lucas, do yourself a favor and stay out of things like this next time unless you are directly in danger." Lucas nodded, and the officer walked down the stairs with his partner and the paramedics.

Lucas remained in a tense and pensive state, but suddenly came to his senses when he felt warm drops dribble down delicately onto his arm. He turned to see Dawn, quietly shedding tears, he eyes closed and her face revealing great pain. "Dawn?" he asked, trying to get her attention.

"Mhm," she murmured, sniffling.

"Something wrong?"

Dawn seemed slightly irritated by the question, the stress ebbing and flowing: "Yes. Yes, something is wrong. Two people died right in front of me, one of which _you_ killed, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was threatened to be sexually assaulted by two criminals, both of whom we've left with permanent damage, and the day concludes with a run-in with the police. So yes, I'd say that something is wrong. Lucas, I'm not like you. I can't just… just sit calmly after that much blood has been spilled."

Lucas felt as though he had been hit by a brick in the gut and his expression suddenly relaxed and became painfully sullen. Dawn realized what she'd just done and feared the worst, but Lucas spoke calmly and with kind conviction: "I get it. I really do. I guess we're just different people, after all. My dad always told me to never start and never run from a fight, so my hand easily reaches for the trigger. So…" he took a somber pause, choosing his next words carefully, "I apologize for scaring and scarring you like that; I mean it." He deliberated for a dreadful moment before delivering the detonation: "If you don't want to go on a journey with me, I understand why, and don't feel like you have to say yes to be nice or something; as I said, I'll understand your choice because something tells me I'm not done with these Galactic guys just yet." he finished, kicking the ball into Dawn's court. It hurt Lucas to say that, but it hurt him more to see so someone innocent suffer.

Dawn twisted inside, realizing what she'd made him say. She could feel her mind running in two directions: she wanted to stay with Lucas because a journey with anyone else was ludicrous, but she didn't want to see her journey stained in any more crimson. As her mind melted in her skull, she mustered her effort to speak to him, shuddering: "I-I don't think I want to go on a journey a-alone. I want to go with you, but…but promise you'll stop getting in fights you don't need to be in," she pleaded.

Lucas didn't wait much to deliver a response: "Dawn, I'd hate to go on a journey alone, too. In fact, I won't. But I can't stop fighting, Dawn. I can't. You and I both know where these Galactic people are there are innocents suffering. So I'll hold back, but I will not run. It's not right." He paused momentarily, allowing his next sentence to carry its weight into Dawn: "So that still leaves you with a choice to make."

Dawn hung her head knowing that she would be unable to strike any compromise; she wasn't fighting him or his rationality but his values, and those were clearly immutable. She thought within herself pensively. "Lucas would never hurt me, but that doesn't mean I can stand watching him rip through people in his, in our, way like paper. Yet at the same time, a journey? Without him? I don't want that; no, he has to be there until the end." She chuckled morosely in her head: "I still have a choice, Lucas? Nonsense. At this point, my hands are tied, and I _have_ to go with you." "Lucas, I'm going on with you," she said firmly aloud, lighting up Lucas's eyes like a burning coal, "but on one condition: when you say you'll hold back, I understand that to mean almost completely." Lucas looked confused at hearing her terms, prompting her to continue: "If you're going to fight someone, it has to be with Pokemon. That's it. Think about it, Lucas. If you can go around sinking knives into people, murdering them left and right, and slaughtering them because they hurt you or someone…" she gently paused with slight happiness remembering how far he'd exerted himself to shield her from the Grunts, "someone you…"

"Care about very much?" Lucas filled in quizzically, missing her insinuation like North Kalos's missiles missed their target.

"Yeah," she softly said, parting her dark hair over her face and moving it behind her ear before looking up at Lucas. "…then you're no different from _them_. I-I can't stay with someone like that… it's not safe," she finished. "Do we have a deal?" she said, weakly smiling and holding out her hand to Lucas. Lucas himself weakly brought himself to smile and shook her hand. His sunken expression suddenly lightened at her touch. He and Barry always gave each other the strongest of handshakes; a weak handshake was an automatic sign of submission to the other party. He did the same with her, gripping her hand so firmly that she almost winced. But her hand held back only lightly and gingerly. As her warm, soft, and gentle skin pressed against his hand, he could feel a reassurance, a feeling of joyous calmness, emanate through him. After a firm shake, each let go of the other and retracted their hands slowly.

They rose shakily to their feet and made their way outside. As they descended down the stairs they saw a few police officers opening the front door and entering inside with Ziplocs and various markers and testing devices. Lucas and Dawn passed them without a word and headed back outside to make the short walk back to the Pokemon Center. The sky matched Dawn's hair, but the exuberant lights of the city coated the black with radiant hues of red and blue. By the time they reached the Pokemon Center, Lucas was dazed, his footsteps wavering and his strength failing him. The two headed directly to the mess, eating the quinoa salad the cafeteria served in silence, lost in their own thoughts and too deeply engrossed in pensive pondering to mind the taste or texture of the dreaded, disgusting grain.

The terrorizing silence ensued as the two finished their meals and walked back upstairs to their room. Dawn headed straight to the curtains and parted them again, but this time, a thick glumness inside the room devoured the glow that outlined her figure the night before. Lucas removed his crimson-colored clothes and fitted himself into more comfortable pajamas in the bedroom while Dawn changed in the bathroom. He crawled into his side of the bed while Dawn arrived a minute later and slept on her side. Dawn was more than distraught; her breathing was laborious and her countenance revealed so much internal combustion that Lucas himself writhed in discomfort, finally snapping and taking control of the downward emotional spiral.

"Dawn?" he gently asked, trying to miserably to put the days incinerating events behind him.

"Mhm?" she said, a hint of indignation in her voice.

"Don't you have a contest tomorrow?"

Dawn face suddenly received a coating of joy as her eyes glowed for a moment. She returned to her dejected expression, but her moment of joy gave Lucas the momentum he needed to press his strategy. "Yeah, I have a contest," she quietly replied.

"Well, I know today has been… total shit, to say the least, but you have a big day tomorrow. You have to put what happened today behind you. Besides, I made a deal with you. And I'm sure you don't know this about me, but my word is stronger than I am. S-so don't uh, stress out… because it stresses me out too."

Dawn laughed slightly, confusing Lucas but assuring him that her mood had finally changed. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked, befuddled by her reaction.

"Yeah, you're definitely weren't stressed when you were beating lethal criminals, but you're somehow stressed when I'm stressed?" she said, turning to face him while exuding a vibrant smile, "I find that a bit hard to believe."

"You better believe it. I'm going to be cheering my heart out tomorrow. I really hope you win, Dawn."

"That's sweet of you, Lucas. I guess I'll be repaying the favors during your gym battles, then?"

"Exactly," Lucas chuckled, "it'll be a positive feedback loop of kindness."

Dawn's expression suddenly became cautionary and foreboding: "Lucas, what if I screw up? I-I've never been in front of that many people before… it'll be a bit scary." Lucas made motions of a bomb dropping and detonating with his hands. "What the hell are you doing?" Dawn giggled.

"Oh, you blew up the positive feedback loop of kindness, see?" he playfully replied, making more explosion noises and signs.

"Are all boys like this?" Dawn amusedly asked.

"Yeah, the sane ones are. But seriously, Dawn. I know it's hard to be in front of crowds, but here's what I used to do to get over that: remember that everyone in the crowd has flaws, and almost everyone is inferior to you in some way at something. Pretend like you're presenting to a crowd full of 5-year olds. How bold and confident would you be? Show that confidence and power to _them_ , and they'll eat it up like 5 year-olds eat candy no matter _how_ your performance is for the most part."

Dawn just stared at him, perplexed by his method and once again a bit uneasy in his presence but surmounted her slight aversion quickly and spoke: "Don't you, uh, think that's a bit condescending? I mean, they're still grown people. I can't treat them like 5 year-olds, right? Don't you have anything more… decent?"

"Well, for those with more heart and humanity, I would suggest to just find a familiar face in the crowd; that'll usually do the trick, too. Just be sure to look away from them and at the rest of the crowd from time to time, ok?"

"I-I don't know anyone who'll be at the contest tomorrow…" she sadly said.

Lucas blinked a few times. "Did-did she just say that?" he thought to himself, shocked. He felt as though one of the Galactic grunts was taking his stomach apart piece by piece from the inside out with their knives. "W-well, I-I will be there, remember?" he shyly and weakly reminded, letting his bleeding spirits spill all over Dawn's conscience.

Dawn's face bleached as she imagined her hitting herself: "Oh, uh, r-right. You'll be there! I-I don't know how the hell I forgot; I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be in the front row so you can see me."

"So I can see you or so you can see me?" she asked, grinning while raising her eyebrow coyly. Lucas went red at the implication before rapidly turning to the side to hide his blush and turn off the lights. He then turned back to her, a bit more confident that his hue was concealed by the cover of darkness and spoke: "Maybe both."

Dawn smiled and turned on her side to Lucas, her eyes outshining the darkness of the room. "No movie today?" she sweetly asked, almost melting Lucas on the spot.

"I think I'm the only one here who wants you to win the contest tomorrow," Lucas joked. "It's way too late for a movie now, but I promise we'll have one tomorrow."

"It's become a thing, hasn't it?"

"What has?"

"Watching movies before we sleep."

"Oh, yeah. I guess it has. I only have a dozen or so more DVD cases in my backpack, but let's be honest, I can pirate from my laptop and HDMI it to TV in the worst case."

"My Arceus, you're _lawless_!" she jokingly said.

"Let's keep my questionable ethics off the table for now. What about your contest tomorrow? What's your game plan?"

"I'm going to stick with what we practiced today for the most part, but I'm going to change it up a bit for the appeals. And as for battles, I'm just going to have to see who and what comes up because it's not like you and I have too much experience to go off of anyways."

"Waaaiiit waitwaitwaitwait. What are you changing?"

"Uh… nothing much. It's a surprise," she said before quietly chiding herself. "I have a _lot_ more surprises for you, Lucas," she thought.

"I _do_ like a good surprise. I'll be waiting, Dawn. Good night," he said, his voice saccharine and soothing.

"Good night, Lucas." The two didn't take much time drifting off to sleep, their conscience and bodies simply lacked the energy to further conversation.

Lucas woke up to the sound of a hair-dryer moving and humming as the glittering rays of the sun from outside deflected off the windows of the skyscrapers and shot into his room. He rubbed his eyes and pressed his hands into the bed to raise himself into a sitting position to find Dawn drying her hair rapidly with a black hair dryer set in the highest airspeed.

"Good morning, Dawn," he greeted.

She stopped the dryer and turned to face him: "Oh, good morning, Lucas. I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"Nah, you're good," he lied, trying to keep her spirits up. "You woke up really early, though," he said, looking at the baby sun peering over the horizon as its light shone in between two buildings.

"Well, I forgot to tell you earlier but I have to go register for this year's contest season. It'll take an hour and a half or so, and they'll ask me to fill out a bunch of forms and stuff, so I didn't think you'd want to come."

"It's no problem, Dawn. I'd be glad to provide you company."

"No, seriously, Lucas: It's _really_ boring. I'll just go finish it up and come back, alright? Besides, I think you need a rest after all that stuff that happened yesterday."

Lucas was a bit perturbed by her rejection of his proposal but understood that she needed her own space for a while and decided not to push further. "Alright," he dejectedly said, "I'll stay. But if you need me to get anything don't be afraid to shoot me call, alright?"

She gently smiled at him: "Alright, I will, but I think I need to register your phone first."

"Right," Lucas said as Dawn set the dryer down and walked to him. He pulled his phone, detaching it from the charging cable, and held his phone as Dawn pressed her phone against it. A small and shrill beep ensued when the two put their phones in their pocket and bag, respectively.

"I'll be going, Lucas. And don't worry about me, I'll be back real soon, OK?"

"OK, Dawn." Dawn finished combing her hair and stepped out of the door before it closed with a resounding DUD behind her.

Lucas felt a gaping hole spread inside of him in her absence. "I've known for only a few days. I've got to get my shit together," he said, shaking his head. He trudged into the bathroom, sluggishly brushing and dressing up. He geared himself up to go outside when she returned, but sat on the bed, confused. "What am I going to do alone?" he asked himself, bored out of his mind and yearning for someone to talk to. "Wait, Barry said he'd be here, right? Then the fuck am I doing? I'll call him," he excitedly said aloud.

He yanked the phone out of his pocket and dialed up Barry's number and waited as it rang. Someone picked up on the other side: "Hello? Lucas? Whaddya' need, buddy?"

"Nothing much. I'm planning on getting some breakfast at the Denny's nearby, care to join?"

There was a bit of silence. "Lucas… are you, uh, you know—"

"Barry, what the—no, no. I'm not fucking _gay_. I just wanted some company man."

"I'm sorry man, it's just that… well, you know, right? Whatever. Yeah, I'm down to go. I'll be there in five minutes."

"5 minutes? Where are you right now?"

"Route 103."

"ROUTE 103? You're at least 15 minutes away. Dude, take your time!"

"It takes that long if people ran like you do, Lucas. I'll be there in like 5 minutes anyway, so be there!" Barry said before the line cut. Lucas quickly slipped the phone into his pocket and rose to get out of the door.

He sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him as the backpack swung uncomfortably from his shoulders and made it to the restaurant in several minutes, but before he could make it, the blond-haired boy was already waiting for him outside.

"You're late," Barry said, jokingly disappointed.

"No, man. You're always way too early," Lucas shot back. Barry opened the door as he and Lucas walked inside the cold, air-conditioned restaurant where a short line of customers awaited them.

"A line?" Barry said in a whiny voice.

"I'm sorry Barry, but you'll have to _wait_ like regular human beings, now. What a tragedy, right?"

"Yes. I'm declaring a state of emergency," he replied, chuckling.

"Well I know what I want; how about you? You want to take a look at the menu before we're seated?"

Barry just raised his eyebrow and didn't speak. There was a moment of silence as they both smiled: "Build Your Own Slam" they both said at once before giving each other a gave each other a fist-bump.

"Um… excuse me?" a buttery, sweet voice with alluring twang said from behind them. A girl, no older than they were, with flowing golden brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and a courtly smile stood shyly with her hands clasped over the handle of a small purse that hung in front of the end of her soft, yellow gown with beautiful white lacing. "I'm sorry to bother y'all, but I'm a bit new to the area. I-I don't know too many folks here, and you two look like good gentlemen, so would you mind keeping me some company for li'l while?"

Lucas smiled politely and looked at Barry for a moment: he was cold. His expression blanked as a smile slowly and weirdly spread to the corners of his mouth. Lucas didn't take long to fill in the colors and gave him a quick elbow, jarring the speedster into his senses. "We'd be glad to give you company," Lucas said. Barry nodded aggressively in agreement. Lucas gestured toward a bench nearby Barry on the left side of the waiting lobby: "Shall we wait here until it's our turn to be seated?"

"Yes, that would be nice." Lucas sat on the far left end with Barry next to him and the new girl next to Barry.

"Y-you, uh, haven't told us your name," Barry began.

"Barry? Stuttering? He is _whack_ out of it," Lucas thought to himself.

"M'name's Alyssa. Alyssa McClide. I'm actually from the good ol' Johto region; my papa owns several Miltank farms along the countryside. But I've always liked those dazzling Pokemon Contents, so my Julia and I are here to do our best and become the top coordinator. How about you folk?"

Barry blanked, lost in her sweet gaze, and Lucas filled in for him, allowing Barry to continue gazing. "I'm Lucas Drake," he began, "And he's Barry Allen. We're both from Twinleaf town, which isn't too far from here. We finished our secondary schooling, so now we're out to make ourselves a name and living through Pokemon Training and become the Champion: well, at least _one_ of us," he jokingly said, looking at the still paralyzed Barry who finally snapped awake at the snide comment.

"Ah, don't worry, Lucas. Maybe you'll be strong enough to beat me one day."

Alyssa simply snickered at the exchange. "I s'pose y'all are really good friends?"

"Yeah, Lucas and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember," Barry replied.

"Next!" the waitress at the counter called. The trio arose and walked over to the cashier: "How many?"

"Party of three," Barry replied with his tone rising towards the end to give Alyssa a chance to affirm that she wanted to eat with them. Alyssa nodded in approval.

"Alright, right this way," the waitress said, leading them to a small table for four in the center of the left half of the restaurant. Lucas sat alone on one side while Barry and Alyssa seated themselves next to each other. The waitress began handing them menus. "Can I get you started with some shakes or coffee?" she politely asked.

"I'll take a root beer," Lucas said.

"I'll, uh, take a black coffee," Barry said. "How about you, Alyssa?"

"I'll have a coffee as well," she said.

"Thank you, I'll be back with your drinks shortly," the waitress said. "Would you like to order now or take a gander at the menu?"

"Do you want to order now?" Barry politely asked Alyssa.

"Yes, please," she responded. The three each order variations of the build your own grand slam, with Alyssa going heavy on biscuits and gravy while Lucas and Barry decided to take an English muffin instead.

"So Alyssa," Barry began, "what Pokemon have you been raising for the contest?"

"I have an Eevee that my mama gave me when I was a little girl; her name's Julia, and she's the darned cutest creature of Arceus that you'll ever see," she said giddily.

"I think I've seen someone cuter," Barry muttered under his breath _just_ loudly enough for Lucas to pick up. "Well, it looks like you'll be taking the cake at Jubilife today," Barry happily suggested.

"I hope so. I've been dreaming of this for a long time," she dreamily replied.

Lucas realized a party had been left out of the conversation entirely and decided to interject: "Well, I think you're going to find some nice competition this time around," Lucas said, a bit to Barry's discontent and to Alyssa's curiosity.

"I have a friend named Dawn who's just as excited as you are for this competition. She's been dreaming about this moment her whole life, too. I helped her practice for her act yesterday, and so far, it sounds like a competition between you two would be awesome to watch with popcorn!"

"Wow! I can't wait to meet her!" Alyssa politely said.

"Yeah, she's a wonderful girl," Lucas said _slightly_ dreamily, but Barry picked up on his scent.

The waitress arrived only moments later with hot coffee and root beer while another waitress followed behind her with their meals.

"Enjoy!" the first waitress said before the two departed: one to the kitchen and one to the counter.

Barry seized the fork and knife and began assaulting the pancakes voraciously and raucously. Lucas gave him a slight kick in the shin and gestured his head towards Alyssa, who was saying something quietly with her hands clasped. Barry stopped moving to let her finish in peace and nodded to Lucas, thanking him for the notice.

The three tucked into the delicious breakfast food soon after, and 15 minutes later, walked out full enough to fast for the rest of the day.

Alyssa turned to them when they when they walked out the doors of the restaurant. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet y'all, but I have to go register for this year's contest season, and I'm sure that'll take a long while. But I do hope I get to see ya'll at the contest today!"

"It was a pleasure to meet you, too," Barry responded. Lucas waved as Alyssa waved back at the two and turned to walk away.

"Uh, Alyssa," Barry called out as she walked away. Alyssa turned around swiftly with a glowing smile, her gown twirling and glittering in the sun.

"Yes?" she sweetly asked.

"Uh, I was wondering if, uh, I could, uh, register your phone?"

"Of course! I'd be glad to keep in touch!" she exclaimed, walking back towards him while pulling her phone out of her purse. Barry pulled his out of his pocket and held it up against hers. A beep ensued and the two placed their phones in their respective compartments once more.

"Well, um, good luck at your contest! I hope you win!"

She giggled a bit, "Thank you, Barry. I hope to see you there!" The three waved to each before Alyssa walked in the Westwards to a small building with a Pokeball symbol.

Lucas then turned to Barry, "You want to head back to my place and play some Call of Duty?"

"Yeah, I'm down," Barry replied. The two walked slowly back to the Pokemon Center, talking about how the Contest would be but even more so about the serious issues of the day before. The two entered the red-roofed building at a leisurely pace and made their way up to Lucas's room.

Lucas went to his backpack, pulling out a pair of controllers and a portable console while Barry sat on the bed. Lucas tossed him a controller which he caught without looking. Lucas spent about a minute hooking up the various wires and devices needed for the controllers to work and soon hit the power button before sitting next to Barry.

The two began violently smashing their controller's buttons, each trying to get an edge over the other in the local death-match. Lucas had the better control and aim, but Barry's quick reaction and reflexes on the controller didn't allow him to sink many bullets in. Lucas finally outsmarted him by creeping up behind Barry and smashing R3 for a melee kill. But Lucas was low on health at that point, and it didn't take Barry long to finish him of after respawning. The exchange went back and forth for a few minutes before Lucas decided to bring up a point of interest.

"So, Barry, you plan on asking Alyssa out soon?"

Barry hit the trigger button vigorously while responding: "Ask her out? Dude, I've known her for less than an hour. Sure she's pretty, and cute, and real nice, and has sweet, sweet smile full of happy sedatives…" he trailed off dreamily while Lucas went for the kill. Barry snapped out of his trance when he saw the kill-cam. "Oh, fuck you, Lucas." Lucas just laughed. "Well, when are you going to ask _Dawn_ out."

"Look, I've known her for longer than you've known Alyssa, but I don't even know if she likes me."

"Bullshit. How could she _not_ like you, man? Are you outta' ya' mind?"

"No, hear me out on this. Remember the whole run-in with the Galactic people yesterday?"

"Yeah, we literally talked about it on the way back from Denny's. Good job kicking their asses, though!"

"Well, Dawn didn't see it that way. That whole part of me, the part that wants to lunge for the kill when threatened, I think she fears it."

"Well, I'd piss bricks too if somebody tore people apart like rag dolls, man. It's just that I know you better, so I'd stomach it. It'd be stupid to purge that part of you, though, because it kept you alive. But do what she says and at least suppress it for as long as you can; it isn't a neat thing to see, you know?"

"I get that, but it doesn't change much."

"What do you mean?" Barry said, lining Lucas's head in his scope.

"I don't think she likes me. I mean, what's a gal like her gonna do with a guy like me?"

"Lucas, first off, fuck you," Barry said as he pulled the trigger.

"Fair 'nough," Lucas shrugged. Barry then paused the game.

"Next, are you mad? _You_ are a god. Dude, she doesn't like you; she _lusts_ for you."

"Uh… Barry, you've completely misunderstood wha—"

"Shut up, Lucas. Listen to me: you _know_ she wants the—"

"I want the what, now?" Dawn said coming out from behind the wall of the bathroom, her eyebrow raised in amusement and with a slight tinge of fury.

"Shit," Barry said. He looked at Lucas, who was a pale white at this point and then at Dawn, who was blushing wildly at this point. "Well, uh, that was a great conversation. I, uh, have to, uh, water plants. Right. Gotta' keep the world oxygenated!" he said rapidly, shoving his controller into Lucas's gut and grabbing his pack to run out of the door before either of them could open their mouths.

Lucas was shivering at this point, his spine melting. "H-hey Dawn. H-how much of th-that did you, uh, catch?"

She smiled gently, slightly amused by his crippling fear: "A bit." Lucas gulped. "It didn't take as long to register as I thought, so I came home about ten minutes ago and changed into some more comfortable clothes to take a nap until you came back. I was polishing my nails when you two came in, but I didn't want to, uh… bother you guys, so I kept quiet." She paused for a bit: "I have to say, it was hard to keep from laughing sometimes, and thank you for saying what you said; that was very considerate of you," she smiled.

"Th-thank you? But I'm sorry about, ya' know, Barry. He's a speedy kid and all, so—"

"You're not Barry, so you don't have to apologize." An awkward silence ensued before Dawn spoke again. "Well, I guess the game's still on. Mind if I play?"

"Uh, not at all. Here," he said, offering her the controller. She sat at the foot of the bed and hit the pause button again, starting the game where Barry had left off. The two thumbed away furiously, trying to shoot the awkwardness out of the room.

 **Ideally, this chapter would have been a bit longer, but oh well, it had to be cut short because of the conditions listed above. If you have any criticisms, please feel free to review! Cheerio everyone!**


	8. Chapter 8: All for a Good Show--Part I

Chapter 8: All for a Good Show—Part I

"You have to stop doing that, Lucas," Dawn pleaded as Lucas blasted her one more time with a spray of bullets, sending her character limply into the ground.

"I'm not going to lose on _purpose_ , Dawn," he said with a slightly mocking tone. The timer counted down as the deathmatch came to an end, giving Dawn about 10 seconds to overcome a deficit of 15 kills; she didn't.

Lucas turned off the TV and smiled before turning to her: "Please tell me you're not going to lose like this today at the contest. I paid a lot of money for my ticket, okay."

Dawn was taken aback, perplexed and flustered by his casual dismissal of her hard work and emotional investment in the big day. "Lucas…" she trailed, her sadness and dejection noticeable, "don't, don't say that. I worked very hard and—"

"Heyheyhey, I was just joking. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings or something, alright? I already said it last night, but I'll say it again to make you feel better." Her eyes sparkled as he paused before speaking again. "Revenge of the Sith is better than The Last Jedi."

Dawn jolted out of her happy trance, jokingly throwing a pillow beside her at Lucas: "Wait what? I-I thought you were going to say something inspiring or nice to give me confidence!"

"Well, you wouldn't need inspirational clarions, Dawn. I think that you're ready to take the ribbon as you are now."

" _There_ it is," Dawn glowed before taking a quick glance at the clock by the side of the television. "Oh shit. We better get going; the contest starts in about an hour, and I need a good chunk of time to get readied up."

"Can you tell me what you're wearing?"

"You seem impatiently interested," she said a smile lifted the corners of her mouth and one of her eyebrows rose.

Lucas was too calm to be flustered this time: "I expect a good show is all."

"I shall see to it that your expectations are fulfilled, then," she said, getting up and slinging her bag over her shoulders. "I can expect to see you in the front row?"

"Yep." He took a pause before speaking again as Dawn waited at the door: "I hope you win this, Dawn. I know how much it means to you."

"I hope I will too, Lucas. Thank you for all the help yesterday."

"It's nothing: besides, you said you'd help me for gym battles, remember?" he said, getting up to put on his shoes.

Dawn laughed: "I did, didn't I? Well, at least it's a win-win."

Lucas stood up after fastening his laces. "Now let's get that first win!" he said as he followed Dawn outside.

They trotted downstairs and walked outside into the cool winter air as Dawn shuddered a bit in the chilly breeze. "You look a bit chilly, Dawn," Lucas began, "do you want to sprint over to the contest center?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. The contest center is indoors, too," she replied. The two began a quick run to the contest center, which was only several minutes away at their pace. They lost no momentum reaching the door, bolting in a blur and crashing into a line to enter the hall. A man in a small booth by a turnstile scanned tickets in viewers and performers hands alike as they shuffled slowly through the bars of the turnstile. By the time Lucas and Dawn got there, they each pulled out their ticket and Contest IDs respectively, granting access to the wondrous world inside.

Excitement and activity bustled all around them as various personalities adorned with headsets and walkie-talkies, beautiful dresses and makeup, or perfect suit and tie briskly walked and talked around the venue, creating a warm and lively ambiance that beckoned Lucas and Dawn on that cold, cold day. An amazed "Whoa," was all Lucas could manage as his gaze wandered the entire hall, scanning all of the life and activity that his eyes could pounce on. "I guess I'll go find my seat and maybe get Galahad, Prometheus, and Caesar some snacks before the contest starts. Good luck!"

"Sounds good, I'll go to the green room and get changed. There's going to be a break right after the appeals round for us to catch a breath and all, so meet me right outside the auditorium, OK?"

"OK."

"Auf wiedersehen, Lucas!"

"See ya' later, Dawn," he said, waving. Dawn waved back and walked to the recesses of the venue where many different people in elegant clothing were bunched. Lucas turned and walked to what was an elegantly designed entryway, assuming that what was inside was the auditorium. He walked over to the massive mahogany doors and pushed them open with both hands, echoing a loud crack through the auditorium inside as light bounced around the room and flowed along the luxurious gold and red velvet walls. There were already a few people inside, working on the stage and testing sound. Someone was already in the front row setting down their things in their seat, personnel in headsets were walking alongside the front edge of the stage in front of him, giving various orders to people on stage.

Lucas jogged down the flight of stairs that lead directly to the front row of the auditorium where he found a familiar face sitting in a seat next to where Lucas's should have been. "Barry?" he asked loudly, catching the human bolt's attention. Until then absorbed in his own thoughts and meditations, Barry's eyes and face flashed instantaneously towards Lucas as he popped out of his seat and sprinted over to him at the end of the row.

"You're finally here. I thought you weren't going to come at all today."

"What? It's almost 40 minutes till the contest begins. If anything, I'm early!"

"Not according to my clock you're not."

"You're so damn quick your clock runs backward, Barry. I wouldn't _actually_ use it to tell time. But tell me: why are you even here?" he asked, humorously puzzled.

"Duh, Alyssa is going to compete today, so I'm here to support her."

"I'm sure she'd appreciate that, Barry, but keep your cool when she goes up," he said before pausing. "We don't what happened in front of Dawn to happen again," he said quietly through gritted teeth.

"Oh, right. I, uh, I'm sorry about that, buddy. I would have shut if I knew she was there… Did she say anything?"

"About me, yes. She sorta' gave me a pass because I didn't play along, but she said nothing about you specifically. But she implied that she wanted an apology." Barry gulped at the words. "But I'll try to get you out of this on good terms, alright?"

"Thank you, Lucas. You've got my back as usual."

"Only because you've got mine. Anyway, I'm hungry. You know any places I can hit up for a quick snack before the contest starts?"

"Yeah. They have a concession stand right outside the left of the auditorium and right next to the bathrooms. Be quick, though; you'll spend most of your time in line."

"Perfect, I'm going to try to be back as fast as you would, but let's be honest: I'm only human," Lucas chuckled before dashing back up the stairs and into the bustling world outside the auditorium. He returned 30 minutes later with a box of popcorn and a churro. He sat down in the seat next to Barry as the auditorium began to fill and waves of people filled the numerous rows of velvet seats. The stage was clear of personnel now, and curtains had come down, concealing most of the stage.

"How long till the contest begins?" Lucas asked Barry.

"A good five to ten minutes, I think."

"Awesome, then it's not a long wait, then. 400 Pokedollars says that Dawn will win this."

"Lucas, do you really want to lose all that money? 400 Pokedollars says she won't and that _Alyssa_ will take the cake. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal," Lucas said, lending his arm for a handshake. Barry shook and the two smugly looked at each other, both hoping to make a buck from the bet.

Lucas was about halfway through munching his churro dipped in caramel sauce when he saw movement in his peripheral vision just as the lights began to dim. He quickly glanced over to see three girls with expensive white and brown parka jackets lined with fur, thick brown boots with a cotton and fleece covering, and expensive leather accessories of various colors with gleaming gold logos walk through his row of seats. Lucas went back to munching on the sweet goodness of the churro when one of the girls tapped him on the shoulder. Almost startled, he quickly turned to the owner of the hand. He had to admit: she was attractive but in no way similar to how Dawn or Alyssa were. Her, and her friends', looks were almost… transplanted, not naturally infused.

"Hey, I can't see the numbers on the seats, but I know in the right row. We're supposed to be in A6 through A8, so if you could tell me your seat number I can sort of trace my way to our seat," she asked in a full yet slightly high-pitched voice.

"Uh sure, I'm in seat A9, so I guess you guys are the next three seats over here", he said, pointing the seats to his left.

"Oh! That's so cool!" she excitedly exclaimed as she and her company quickly set themselves and their "equipment" down in the seats. "I'm Valerie, by the way," she said extending her hand, which Lucas lightly shook, trying to politely indicate that his attention was due elsewhere. "That's Jessica and that's Ava," she said gesturing to her friends, who exuberantly waved at him before crossing their legs and looking at the stage, sipping on a tall glass of orange-gold iced tea. Valerie, much to Lucas's disinterest, had yet to break her contact with him. "Soooooooo, I don't see very many boys our age at contests, so what brings you here?"

"I'm here to cheer a friend of mine on. She's from the Kanto region and this is her first contest, and I just want to be there for her. You guys?" he asked before scolding himself for passing the question back to her and extending the conversation.

"No WAY! Like, we're from Kanto, too! That's _super_ cool. We're here to cheer our friend on, too. We're on vacation here to Sinnoh for a few months, so we like thought she should take a shot at the Sinnoh contests, and like, see how far, like she can go, you know?"

"Oh, I hope she does well," he said.

"OH THANKS! You're like, sooo sweet," she replied with unsettling exuberance. Lucas responded with a slow nod before eating his churro again, looking at the stage.

A minute later, the luscious red curtains finally parted, revealing a blonde woman in a sparkling, dark blue dress and headset waving at the crowd. She blew a kiss to the crowd, which promptly cheered and clapped, but not _nearly_ as insanely as the three girls next to him.

"Did they legalize crack while I was buying snacks or something?" he thought, further confused by their unbridled enthusiasm and energy. He shrugged it off and kept watching as the woman on stage began to speak.

"Good Afternoooon everyone! My name is Helena Roberts, and I'll be your host this year's for the Jubilife City Pokemon Contest! Before we begin today's event, let's welcome our wonderful contest judges!" she happily said as she gestured with an open palm to an opening in the ground in front of the front row where a large table with three judges seated behind a panel were raised up. The three judges stood up to turn around and wave at the audience.

"Please welcome our first judge, Ms. Gardenia, Sinnoh's Grass Type Gym Leader!" A woman with a bowl cut and a bright green dress waved as the spotlight shone on her.

"Our next judge, Ms. Fantine, Sinnoh's Ghost Type Gym Leader!" The spotlight then shone on a woman in a long purple dress and two, brownish blonde buns in her hair.

"Our final judge and Sinnoh's Contest Administrator, Harold Breckenridge!" she said as the spotlight then shone on a man in a well-trimmed beard and navy-blue suit with a dark, maroon tie. The three judges either applauded each other or took a slight bow before sitting back down to face the stage, which now was lit by ceiling lights above.

"And… let's get to the show!" the host exclaimed as the edges of an entryway onto the stage shone brightly, making the audience slightly gasp.

"Who do you think will go first, Dawn or Alyssa?" Barry whispered over to Lucas.

"I think it'll be Dawn, but that's a complete guess."

"To start off the appeals round and this contest: our first contender hails _all_ the way from Johto region! She's a seasoned contender and has arrested the attention of many audiences. Please welcome Maria Chen!"

A woman in her late twenties walked out of the entryway wearing a long red-velvet gown that had streaks of glimmering gold and purple dancing their way up from her ankles to her chest. She had makeup on and head presented herself in a disciplined and refined stance as her glowing, red high-heeled shoes gave her the appearance of a floating apparition. She walked to the edge of the stage where she curtsied before going back to the center of the stage. She held a little Pokeball up high before shouting: "Martha! Dazzle them!" A Beautifly sprung out and materialized in front of her before doing a loop around Julia's head and flapping her colorful wings softly in front of Maria.

"Martha, use Stun Spore!" Maria ordered as the Beautifly happily fly more loops above her head, eventually releasing golden particles of a pollen-like substance that made it look as though it were raining a circle of gold dust. "NOW! Use Bug Buzz!" Beautifly flew to the center of her loop, which was right above Lucas's head, and beat her wings slowly as they began to glow green. She then released her energy with a powerful flap as the falling dust particles suddenly gathered her Bug Buzz energy and began glowing moving with strong velocities, creating the appearance of fireflies flitting about Maria. The audience cooed with delight as the display around Julia lit up the dark auditorium. "Finish it with Gust!" Maria shouted as the Pokemon flapped its wings repeatedly until air currents formed around its wings and blasted straight into the pixie-paradise created by her previous moves. The move leaned a little to the strong side as the attack instantly dissipated the glowing Stun Spores and cleared.

The audience gasped as instead of gently dismissing the Stun Spore rain to match the slow and poetic pace of the rest of the appeal, the startlingly powerful but majestic seemed to scare some members in the audience while others appreciated the sudden display of ferocity. Julia recalled her Pokemon, curtsied, and softly shuffled off the stage, careful to not get her hasty footing entangled in her dress.

"Rookie mistake," Valerie began. "I can't believe that she thought she could even compete making mistakes like that in the first place. She's definitely going to lose points for that, you know?" she viciously remarked, ticking Lucas closer and closer to fully offensive outburst against her. He knew how much work and talent went into putting on performances; he used to debate and argue in front of crowds himself not too long ago, and he loathed blatant disrespect without regard for merit like he loathed those Galactic Grunts.

"I don't think it was that bad; I for one liked that sudden change of tone," he curtly said, causing her expression to become shocked, even a bit worried.

"I-I don't think it was _terrible_ either," she said, suddenly backtracking her previous attack, "I just think that, you know, she could have done better. But I _totally_ see where you're coming from!" Lucas failed to get a read on her: she was either on crack or was fickle that she went back on her words at the _slightest_ suggestion of the contrary.

"A _wonderful_ opening performance from Julia!" Helena spoke as she walked back on stage, "Now, let's see if the second performance by a girl the way from the Johto region can top that. Please welcome contest newcomer, Alyssa McClide!" Alyssa walked onto the stage with a glowing red Pokeball in her right hand and a sun-gold gown that draped the floor around her like an upside down hibiscus flower. She wore brilliantly white gloves but very little makeup that displayed sweet grace and propriety: a sweet grace and propriety that had rendered Barry brain-dead for a moment, at least per Lucas's observations. Alyssa slowly but elegantly walked onto the center of the stage, where she curtsied.

"She's slow, graceful, and delicate. It's like watching a flower bloom," Barry remarked in a husky voice, having lost the breath she had taken away. Lucas simply laughed at his statement, leaving Barry a bit confused and scornful. "Hey, what's the matter?"

"Nothing, Barry. It's just that," he paused to let out yet another chuckle, "slow, graceful, and delicate are the three things you _definitely_ aren't."

"Opposites attract, remember?" Barry replied, smirking, as he continued to watch Alyssa's appeal. Lucas, on the other hand, remained paralyzed; the last time he and Dawn had opposing views on a matter, they were forced to reconcile their differences through a truce, but he still hoped Barry was right. He followed Barry along and kept watching the appeal, all the while wondering how Dawn's act would compare.

Alyssa held her Pokeball high, releasing a brown Eevee that shook its fur and stood regally on its front legs. "Julia, use Sunny Day!" Alyssa cried, moving her hand which held the Pokeball in a sweeping motion out in front of her. Julia chirped cutely, earning cooing and happy captivation from the audience. Julia then began to glow brighter and brighter until her coat began to shift from a caramel brown to the gold of Alyssa's dress. The Pokemon looked up and exuded intense light energy from its body as it lit up the stage around it with beams of an artificial sun released from itself. Pleasant sunlight lit the stage and gently lapped at the edges of the stage, not shining harshly into the audience. "Now! Use mist!" Alyssa commanded. Julia began to prance around the stage, cutely coughing up clouds of pearlescent mist that fractured and shredded the sunlight into multiple colors and spilling rainbow all over the stage and into the devouring pupils of the audience. As the mist rose higher and higher and closer to the artificial sun, some of it boiled and became steam, creating patches of fast-moving steam and clumpy mist that radiated color.

Alyssa simply made a twirling motion with her finger and Julia ran around in the foggy interior of her attacks, causing the to swirl and mix under the heat of the sun. As the colder mist chased after the hotter steam, a current began to form as all of the cloudiness from the stage began to consolidate in a growing, glowing, vortex of fast-moving clouds and rainbow colors that sparkled from inside. A small shadow could be seen on the inside of the tornado, which began to move closer and closer until it suddenly leaped out of the vortex, shattering it and dispersing the beautiful tornado, clearing the stage. Julia wagged her ears and stood proudly in front of a cheering and wild audience.

Alyssa recalled Julia, blew a kiss to the audience, and politely exited the stage, leaving a relatively surprised and awed audience begging for more. Helena quickly walked onto the stage and announced the arrival of the next contestant before the audience had become too riled. "That was a SPECTACULAR performance, especially for a newcomer! But she may have some competition…" Lucas's eyes flashed wide open: he knew who was next. "Please welcome yet another newcomer, who is originally from the Kanto region, Dawn Avery!" Dawn proudly walked out of the entryway with power and a presence that made Lucas shiver, perhaps with delight, perhaps with wonder.

"She was right to keep the dress a surprise," Lucas thought to himself, mesmerized by the iridescent, dark blue one-shoulder dress with jet black stripes placed at a V across her chest and slight cuts taken out on her sides that released flashes of her waist, reaching just below her hips. She strutted coyly to the center of the stage where she blew a kiss to the crowd, which promptly went insane with whistles and cheers. Lucas stayed glued into his seat, his eyelids glued to his skull devouring as much of her charm as he could.

"Who knew she could be so—"

"Bullshit."

"What?" he said, irritated and unsettled as he spun to face Veronica.

"It can't be. You'd think this… this THOT would be still be rotting in Kanto. Heh, with that outfit, she'll mix in well with the sewage water she's from. Watch her get eaten, and not in the way you men like," she slyly spat. She then looked at Lucas and read his disgusted look and perplexed expression. Her eyes flew open for a second and bit her lip. "Wait a minute; she's your friend, isn't she? Well, let me do you a favor," she said in a whisper, slowly extending her hand and placing it on his chest. Lucas didn't budge and his steely eyes still hissed at his prey. "I know her from Kanto, you know? She's not a really good girl to be around. She and her parents, they were always sticking their noses in other people's stuff, interfering and ruining perfectly good things for all of us. Worst of all," she said leaning in closer to his ear until her perfume was suffocating him, "she's a pleb." She pulled back, smugly smiling while Dawn pulled out her Pokeball out, ready to begin her appeal. "If you want a _real_ girl, though, I'm—"

"Not even a tenth of what she is, vile cunt," he shot, his stern and unwavering gaze lacerating her mind and lashing up her thoughts bloody. He turned to face Dawn again, while Valerie simply blinked, enraged and desperate, but laughably incapable.

"GO! Hazel!" Dawn cried as the cute, brown monkey landed on its fours, sparks splattering the ground from its tail. The audience gasped and held its breath, looking intently at this wondrous Pokemon and trainer that already made a fiery entrance. Lucas leaned further and further out of his seat anxious to see what she would create in this appeal. "Alright Hazel, use ember with your tail!" she excitedly said.

"Just like we practiced, huh?" Lucas thought, recalling that she said she'd tinkered her appeal a little bit from when they practiced several days ago. Instead of charging up a fire attack in its mouth as most Pokemon did, Hazel changed its tail flame to a raging blue color, raising it high in the air for the brilliant color to arrest the attention of the audience. "Now!" Dawn yelled as the monkey spun rapidly around in a circle, tail fully extended, and released fire built up inside its tail, creating a blue ring of fire around itself that expanded outwards until it dissipated into smoldering yellow embers.

"Great job, Hazel!" Dawn said as the audience began to roar with applause. "Now, let's finish this with one more ember: at the sky." The audience immediately hushed as they leaned on edge to see her close her spectacular appeal. Hazel reared its head and opened its mouth as yellowish glints of flame shone out, indicating that it was building up a flame for an attack. It finally released a small ball of flame upwards at tremendous velocity as it pulsated fire and bathed Dawn and Hazel in a fresh and vivacious light. The ball of fire then began down and gained more and more momentum as it kept falling. Hazel began to curl her tail up and turned her back to the falling meteor.

"What's she got up her sleeve?" Lucas said aloud, curiously amused by her talent. Valerie simply rolled her eyes, but was too dejected and enraged to say much.

"Now, Hazel!" Dawn shouted, and Hazel suddenly unfurled its tail and spun around rapidly, driving its tail like a bat into the little ball of fire and sending back into the air where it shattered and sprayed the stage with fiery mist that rained down on Dawn and Hazel, who stood like staid goddesses as the flaming embers and sparks showered the stage in a beautiful curtain of flame. Dawn gave a slight bow, curtsied, and then recalled Hazel before walking off the stage.

"Shit, she's actually put up a fight," Barry said, worried because he didn't have 400 Pokedollars on his body.

"She doesn't just put up fights; she wins them," Lucas confidently replied, "but I guess the same could be said about Alyssa, huh."

"Yep. You know, these contests aren't as boring as I thought they would be you know?"

"Something tells me that if Alyssa wasn't here you'd be saying something else, Barry," Lucas chuckled, pinning Barry's true motives.

"Fuck, you're right," he laughed back. The two watched the rest of the appeals a little laxer than when they began watching. Of the five appeals left, four were negligible or didn't seem to have the proper components of performance, beauty, and power that the first three had, but there was one more appeal that seemed to easily fit into Dawn, Alyssa, and Maria's category of performance.

"That's Lucille," Valerie said to Lucas. "She's by far the best coordinator here, so if you had hopes for Dawn, I'd suggest letting them down easy, now." Lucas didn't say a word, letting her words glance off of his unfeeling heart.

Her performance was dazzling, much to Lucas and Barry's concern. She had a Furfrou, an exotic Pokemon from the Kalos region that was used by wealthy trainers for its ability to be beautifully styled and embellished for contests. The pink, fluffy Furfrou and its heart-shaped tail seemed to dance their way into the audience's hearts by the time the appeal ended, leaving an off-puttingly smug smile. She didn't curtsy or thank the audience, unlike the coordinators before her, and swiftly walked off the stage with her Furfrou wagging behind her.

"It's like these bitches are copy-pasted," Lucas thought as he smirked at Valerie, his eyebrow raised and smug face of impending victory written all over his expression.

 **So I know this was a short chapter, but I am going through a bit of a situation right now, so this was all I could dish out for the time being. I'm really not the best with description and detail, as you may have realized, so any suggestions or feedback on the chapter would help to better part 2. Thanks for reading, and cheers!**


	9. Chapter 9: All for a Good Show--Part II

**A quick note before I begin: the thoughts of all of the characters will be given in italics instead of regular quotation form as per a suggestion in a review. The thoughts in italics will belong to the character whose presence is most prevalent in the context of the last sentence or paragraph.**

Chapter 9: All for a Good Show—Part II

"Well, that concludes today's appeal round, and those were truly spectacular performances from each of our contestants today, were they not? We'll find out which one of these brilliant contestants will be moving onto the next round after a short break while our wonderful judges tally up the marks. See you all soon!" Helena boomed through the microphone after the last contestant for the appeals round left the stage.

"There were eight contestants today, so four would have to be eliminated and the battle round would have two segments to it, right?" Lucas asked Barry, who was silently praying that his crush would win and that he wouldn't leave the contest hall 400 Pokedollars in debt.

"Y-yeah, I think so," he half-mindedly replied.

"Well, I have to meet Dawn outside. I promised to see her and she might already be there," Lucas said, packing his trash to throw on the way out.

"Alright, I actually have to see Alyssa, too," Barry responded. Lucas raised his eyebrows in joking disbelief. "Alright, alright. She never actually _asked_ me to see her, but I want to."

Lucas laughed at Barry's sudden urge to conceal his obvious motives. "Ciao, then. I'll see you here in fifteen?"

"Yep, see ya'," Barry said as Lucas dashed off through the row and out the door, quickly passing the three girls next to him while Barry ran out the door on the other side of the auditorium.

Lucas was shuffling and pushing his way through the crowd he heard a sweet voice coo his name. He froze where he was and swiveled around, searching frantically. He heard gasps and shuffling feet and before he felt a swift but soft hand on his shoulder. He spun around to see a startled but smiling Dawn, in her dress and all, trying to hold back a full giggle with her hand. She released her pent up laughter and leaned in to hug him briefly, leaving the already shocked Lucas fully paralyzed and unable to move.

She let his limp body go and giggled slightly as his eyes blinked and darted across her face while his own face remained frozen. "Sooooooo, what did you think of my surprise?" she asked, an inquisitive softness in her voice.

"It, uh, was surprising."

"What?" she said, puzzled by his simplistic response. "I wasn't expecting you to orate or anything, but I certainly wasn't expecting you to say _that_." She looked down to hide her dejection, before slowly raising her head with a longing and sad face: "Was it really that bad, Lucas?" Of course, she knew he liked it quite a bit, she was watching him in the stands, after all, but she needed to _hear_ it from him.

"I-it was nothing like that; are you kidding? It was _wonderful_ , really. And your dress was beautiful, breathtaking. I'm kinda happy that you kept it a surprise because it was _definitely_ worth it," he said as her eyes glowed brighter and brighter, "And guess what, that appeal was definitely the best I saw today. Either you're moving on the next round, or the contest is rigged."

"Aw, I can't thank you for being here today; it really means a lot. You know, I looked in that massive crowd of faces I had never seen, and I shivered a bit: and then I saw you, and I regained my center." Lucas just returned a knowing smile. "But I know there's something else on your mind."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you haven't finished what you wanted to tell me; there's something else, and your hands are ticking because of it." Lucas looked down at his hands: she was right. His right hand was holding a violently ticking left hand.

"Uh, Dawn, it's nothing you really need to worry about, I promise."

"I worry about what you're worried about, so what are you clearly worrying about?"

"I'm telling you; it's nothing serious and it can wait until the contest ends."

"It's about that Lucille, isn't it?"

Lucas fidgeted with his hands nervously. "Yeaaah. Her, uh, friend Valerie and a couple of her accessor—I mean, uh, friends sat next to me."

Dawn was holding back a flood of giggles with her hand at this point, clearly seeing Lucas's irritated reaction at their mention. "Happy little lot, aren't they?" she jokingly asked.

"Oh, yeah. Rays of sunshine, all of them, but more like gamma radiation. But Dawn, they said they have history with you, and the tall one, uh, Valerie, looked like she _really_ had something against you. I had to go out of my way to shut her up so I could look at your beautiful appeal in peace."

"Aw, how kind! But knowing her, I'm actually surprised you got her to shut up. What'd you have to say to her?"

"You do _not_ want to know; just be happy that it happened. Dawn, and I'm being serious now, how bad is the history between you guys? I want to know who these guys are and why they're doing what they're doing. I hear another word from that Valerie and I'm making sure that Prometheus cooks her to a crisp and Galahad gouges her bloody eyes out." Dawn just blinked blinked with wide eyes that gushed sudden fear out of them. "Too much?" Lucas sheepishly asked, abating his fiery distaste for the trio.

"Yes. Too much." Dawn took a deep breath as the enthusiasm of competition and the exuberance of success was sucked away into her lungs: "Lucas, I haven't told you about my past at Kanto, have I? I told you that my parents died and I moved here with Professor Rowan, but…"

"But what?"

"There is _so_ much more I haven't told you yet, and I promise I will soon. But here's what you need to know right now. Valerie, Lucille, they're just ghosts of my past; don't you fret about them," Dawn calmly said, trying to indicate to Lucas there was no reason to give them or their presence much thought.

"They made this personal. They made it personal when they sat next to me and slandered you, Alyssa, and Maria like they were on some high, meritorious platform. And the worthless scum had the _audacity_ to ask me out on the basis of demoralizing you."

"She did WHAT?" Dawn asked, suddenly less lax and visibly irritated by the last clause of Lucas' statement.

"Yeah, she asked me out. Poorly enough to jeer at her for an eternity, but she did it nonetheless. But, you _suddenly_ seem a bit worked up about some simple 'ghosts from your past'." Lucas was of course genuinely asking this question, not at all picking up on the deeper intent behind her shock.

"Well, they, uh, disrespected you. Yeah. I-I can't handle that."

"I didn't give their offer much consideration, as you can clearly see. Don't worry, no matter how much shit they throw against you, it won't change how I feel about y—" He stopped himself short, realizing the trajectory he had almost completed.

"What were you going to say?" Dawn pressed, grinning and blushing wildly.

"N-nothing. Their offer: I said it wouldn't change how I felt about, uh, helping you with your appeals and stuff."

"Nuh uh. You were going to say something else and I _know_ what you were going to say as much as you do."

"W-what are you talking about? I said what I said, Dawn."

"Was there _nothing_ else you were meaning to say… Lucas?" she endearingly pressed, her glowing and longing eyes luring a truth out of Lucas' throat like the sirens' song lured sailors.

"I, uh, I-I don't think there was… much left to say."

"Oh," she said, her voice softer and weaker then butter on a warm summer day. "I'll, uh, I'll be going then. I don't want to be late for the second round." She forced a smile to her face, waved at him, and turned to pace slowly over to a corridor that led to the backstage.

Lucas stood there, paralyzed and intensely lost in calculation and self-debate.

 _Should I have told her I liked her? Does she know I like her? Did she really know what I was going to say? She must've. Does that mean she likes me? Probably not. Not after what happened yesterday. But what if I make the first move? She'll think I'm bold. No. She won't. She'll think I'm damn stupid. But what if I just—_

"Dawn!" his mouth called to her before his brain had authorized action. She swiveled around immediately, her eyes wide open and a bright, expecting smile shining at him. Lucas had no idea what to say and regretted opening his mouth in the first place.

 _I'll just give her a noncommittal and vague platitude that's slightly positive. There's no way she could take that the wrong way._

"Um, good luck," he said with a simple smile he mustered.

Her glow vanished like the sun after dusk. "Oh. Thank you," she plainly said, once again turning around to walk to the backstage. Lucas, unable to understand what he'd done or said to depress her so suddenly, hung his head and walked back to his seat in the auditorium. He avoided the vulture's gazes of Valerie and her company as he walked down the row to sit beside Barry, who seemed to be strangely more excited than usual.

Lucas sat and melted into the soft, heated cushions of the seat which reassured his cold and broken mind. He turned to Barry, who looked as though he'd need someone to poke a hole in his side lest he wished to burst with excitement and energy. "Barry? Man, you look like you've taken seven or eight shots of espresso. What happened?"

"She said she'll consider it!" he blurted, letting some of his explosive excitement out with the sentence.

"Who said? Alyssa? And what did she say she'll consider?"

"Going on a journey with me: she said that she might do it!"

"She said she might? Wow. Did she say when she'll tell you for sure?"

"After the contest is over. She told me to come to the green room."

"After the contest? Wow, that's quick. I wonder why she wouldn't just

tell you up front?"

"She's probably got her reasons! Don't judge her!" Barry shot back, aggressively defending Alyssa.

Lucas raised his hands in surrender: "Hey, hey, cool it. I was just wondering, okay? I wasn't questioning her integrity or anything." Right when he finished his statement, the curtains parted to reveal Helena, who was standing in the center of stage blowing a kiss to the crowd. In her hand was a small, pink envelope with a solid red seal: Lucas and Barry knew what was inside.

"I hope you've all had a lovely break, but let's get back to what we came to see!" she called into the mic, riling an already eager and enthusiastic audience. She raised the hand with envelope, holding it up high. "In this hand, I have the names of the winners of the previous round who will be advancing to fight in the battle round." The crowd silenced themselves to the point where the crinkling of the envelope opening could be heard perfectly. Helena pulled the cardstock paper inside out after cutting the red seal away. "Our first winner with an astounding 25 points out of 30: Lucille Oliver!" The crowd applauded loudly and continued the applause while Helena opened her mouth again. Lucas slowly closed his eyes, hoping he'd hear the name he should hear. "Our second winner today, with 26 points out of 30, Maria Chen!" Lucas still didn't open his eyes and exhaled a bit of his tension out, only to take more in with the next breath. The audience cheered a bit louder this time and some whistles and cries could be heard. "Our third winner, a newcomer to these contests…" Barry and Lucas looked at each other as though the sheer force behind their wills would rip into the other: it had to be Dawn or Alyssa. "… is Dawn Avery with a spectacular 29 out of 30 points!" Lucas breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the crowd began to cheer and applaud even more energetically. He turned to an anxious and shaking Barry and patted him on the shoulder: "There, there, Barry. It's not really your fault you lost the bet, but thinking that Dawn was anything but top tier was _definitely_ your fault."

"Ah, shut up. There's s-still one more name left," he shakily replied as Lucas took a sip of his drink.

"And the final winner and top scorer of this contest is… Alyssa McClide with an amazing _perfect score_ in her debut appeal!" Lucas nearly spit his drink and had to carefully cough to prevent himself from accidentally inhaling it instead. Barry had an ear to ear grin and was chuckling heavily in his seat before he turned to a shocked Lucas.

"There, there, Lucas," he said, patting a jokingly agitated Lucas. "It's not your fault Alyssa is on a whole god-tier of her own. I hope you have money for dinner because I _am_ nabbing those 400 dollars."

"What an amazing set of appeals we have seen today, and regardless of whether or not they'll move on to the next round, I'm sure we can all appreciate the work and effort that has gone into making these appeals. Please give one more round of applause for all our contestants today!" The audience politely applauded as a tournament bracket with two stages appeared on the backdrop of the stage. "The next round will consist of battles. We will begin with two battles in the first round, the winners of whom will advance to the final round and compete for the contest ribbon!" She looked down at the paper in her hands, which must have had the bracket on it as she read the names of the contestants in the first battle as their faces appeared in their bracket slots on the screen.

"Our first battle will be between the fourth place winner and the second place winner of the appeals rounds, so please put your hands together again for Lucille Oliver and Dawn Avery!" she said loudly into the mic before she walked off stage.

"Oh shit," Lucas ghastly said, realizing where this could end up.

"What happened?" Barry asked, amusingly concerned.

"Those two don't get along well. She can't lose this."

"Well, I didn't really like that cocky-ass girl Lucille either, so I'd rather see Dawn win over her."

"Dawn will crush her, alright. But I think that Maria vs. Alyssa battle will be something to watch," Lucas said, calculating permutations and odds as things stood. Barry nodded in agreement.

As Lucas rummaged through the various possibilities in his head, an idea struck him, and he then turned to whisper to Barry, who then nodded in agreement. He turned to Valerie, who almost reflexively turned to face him the moment he started moving. "Valerie, how about we bet on this next battle."

"How much?" she asked coyly, "I can write you some _very_ large numbers."

"Oh, say, $1000 dollars."

"I want more."

"How much more?"

"A thousand dollars and a _date_ with me if I win," she smugly said. "I choose when and where."

"We have a deal. Shake on it," he firmly said. They shook on it, while Lucas had a steely glare in his eyes, Valerie seemed oddly excited just to hold his hand. Lucas then turned to Barry, who witnessed the whole incident, and flashed a wicked smile across his face.

"I watched the whole thing as you asked. But what the hell are you up to anyway?" Barry asked, intrigued by Lucas's sudden indulgence in bets.

"She conned herself, and I need a witness to prove that she did just that in case she decides she won't pay up."

"Lucas you're a bloody genius. But what if, you know, Dawn doesn't win?"

"She'll win."

"Gee, you've got quite the bit of faith in her."

"A good man must have the utmost faith in pure facts."

"You're right. I have faith that you will give me 400 dollars by the end of the afternoon." Lucas looked at him and rolled his eyes.

The curtains parted as Dawn and Lucille walked out side by side, a bright smile on Dawn's face and a rigidly confident countenance on Lucille's. Each walked to the other end of the stage, Pokeball in hand, and patiently waited for the match to begin. The screen flashed to reveal a new display: the names of the trainers alongside their Pokemon's names appeared on opposite ends of the screen with bars full of green underneath each name and separated by a clock with red digits that showed two minutes in the middle.

The audience counted down from three along with the screen until the match finally began. "Hazel, light 'em up!" Dawn called as she released Hazel from her Pokeball. The little monkey landed on all fours before standing up on two feet and raising its little hands.

Lucille smugly lifted her own Pokeball and released her Furfrou. "Go, Hillary!" The Furfrou landed on its front legs as its hind legs hit the ground right after. It stood regally for a moment before lowering its head and clopping its right hoof on the stage. As both Pokemon were released, their level, type, and pictures appeared on the screen under their names.

"Oh no. She's underleveled," Barry shakily said as he and Lucas worriedly saw Lucille's level fifteen Furfrou getting ready to charge at Dawn's level ten Chimchar.

"Hillary! End this with Head-Butt!" Lucille confidently smirked. Lucas's eyes widened as the Furfrou began to clop in Hazel's direction, picking up speed and lowering her wooly head to streamline her body. Despite her unnaturally pink, stylized, and tailored appearance, Hillary's charge seemed to threaten to damage the stage as the front seats vibrated with each pounding of her foot against the floor.

Dawn was entirely unfazed by the closing beast as she simply stood her ground, knit her eyebrows, and narrowed her gaze, assessing the situation with intense depth. Hillary was but seconds away from making contact with Hazel when Dawn's eyes suddenly flashed wide with unprecedented ferocity. "Hazel, jump, NOW!" Hazel instantly obeyed and threw her lightweight but flexible frame into the air just as the wooly Pokemon charged beneath her and trampled over the stage where she once was. Hazel landed on her feet and quickly swung her fiery tail and body around to see a rapidly moving Hillary running out of room to brake.

"Hillary, pull back and use Tail Whip to slow you down!" Furfrou immediately raised its head and stiffened its moving legs, breaking its streamline shape and causing it to rapidly decelerate. It then shook its tail vigorously back and forth, throwing its fluffy tail weight in multiple directions rapidly, further reducing its forward momentum.

Lucas stole a quick glance at the scoreboard and saw that both of their points had dipped just a touch already.

It worked. The Pokemon began slowing rapidly as it neared the stage-wall but was unable to change directions as its legs remained stiff and inflexible for braking. Dawn smiled and seized the opportunity before her. "Hazel, FIRE!" she yelled enthusiastically as Hazel took a deep breath in, puffing its little cheeks up cutely as the audience melted from the adorable display. It shot a small stream of flames at the linearly moving Hillary as the flames hit it dead in the back.

"FROU!" Hillary roared as it shuddered from the searing heat of the assault, but it kept its legs stiff and firm on the ground as it shouldered through the attack and finally came to a stop.

The audience cheered wildly as the first flurry of attacks of the day played out before them. "Dawn has to make Hillary an easier target to hit," Lucas said, leaning on the edge of his seat with furious anticipation.

"How's she going to do that? Lucille's not going to make the mistake of having her Furfrou move in a predictable direction for that long again," Barry analytically replied, concern and curiosity in his tone.

"You're right, but what if Hillary can't land any hits instead?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Hillary, use Tail Whip!" Lucille called, outstretching her arm as if to give a more authoritative nature to her words. Hillary quickly turned her back to Hazel and wagged its pink, fluffy, heart-shaped tail cutely, eliciting an "Aww" from the audience as Hazel herself giggled, disarmed by the sudden display by Hillary. Hazel's points ticked a bit lower, but was still significantly ahead of Hillary, enraging Lucy.

"Hillary. Put _it_ in its place," Lucy maliciously spat through gritted teeth, making it to Lucas uneasily unclear if "it" was referring to Dawn or Hazel. "Finish this with one more head-butt, and don't miss this time!"

Dawn simply smiled, her confidence in her skill revealing itself. Hillary began a charge at Hazel again, but at a speed that allowed her to maintain fleet-footed agility while delivering impact.

"You can't run this time!" Lucille maliciously called out.

"And you won't be able to shoot straight," Dawn boldly replied. "Hazel hit her with a Smokescreen!" Hazel held her hands in front of her face and coughed into them, releasing a small stream of flame and flammable components that blackened and smoldered in her hands. She then shrugged and playfully threw the smoking ball of particles and ash at the oncoming Hillary. Hillary was too far away and the attack failed to make a direct hit, but it landed right in front of the stylized poodle and released smoke directly into its line of slight, causing it to trip and skid across the contest floor. Hillary's points continued to drop further as the gap between Hazel and Hillary now widened to a sizable 30%.

"Hazel, use Leer!" Dawn called to her partner, who nodded and a ferocious stance on her front two legs as she lowered her head at the fallen Furfrou. She knit her eyebrows, balled her hands into a fist, and bared her small but pointy teeth in a ferocious grin that sent waves of terror from an otherwise cuddly and adorable face. Hillary wavered a bit as it got to its feet, fear bleeding from its eyes. It finally stood straight, but weakly and trembling as its points continued to fall.

Lucille stomped her foot in a mad rage. "Hillary! WHAT are you doing?! Destroy them, NOW! Use H-hyper beam!" she spat, panicked and furious beyond control or reason, much to the distaste of the audience.

Dawn, on the other hand, exuded sportive enthusiasm through her brilliant smile. She balled her left hand into a fist and called out to her partner again. "Hazel, use Scratch, and give it everything you've got!" Hazel clapped happily, matching her trainer's excitement. The Chimchar unfurled her hands to reveal nails at the end of each finger that glowed brightly with white energy. She ran on all fours towards the shaking Furfrou and leaped into the air as she bared her nails, and, in one swift but elegant slash, drove her hand across the side of Hillary's face. The buzzer thundered as Hillary wearily collapsed.

"DAMMIT!" Lucille screamed angrily. Dawn cocked her head back, confused by the unsportsmanlike outrage of Lucille. Lucille cut off her microphone and withdrew the poor Furfrou quickly. Lucille stared at the Pokeball with a gaze that could have melted it: "Hillary, you'll be lucky if I give you _any_ treats today and tomorrow. She furiously marched off the stage as Helena walked back on stage, held Dawn's hand, and raised it to indicate her as the victor. The crowd roared with excitement as Dawn glowed a smile and waved her hand at the audience. She then looked at the front row, seeing an excited but composed Lucas applauding in his seat, and gave him a look as if to say, "One more battle and I've got this ribbon in my pocket!"

"An earth-shattering battle to begin the tournament round, was that not?" Helena asked the crowd, which managed to thunder louder with applause. "Dawn will now be moving on to the final round, but before we see that match, we must know who her opponent is. Prepare yourselves for yet another excellent match between Alyssa McClide and Maria Chen!" Helena left the stage alongside Dawn, leaving an ecstatic Lucas and a worried Valerie in the front row.

Lucas grinned wildly as his fingers dug into his velvet seat, and he turned to a wide-eyed and pale Valerie who sunk her inch-long nails (or claws, depends on your perspective) into her purse. "Valerie," Lucas began, causing her to jolt out of her paralyzed state and turn to him with shame. "The money." Valerie fished quietly through her purse to pull out a checkbook and pen in shaking hands. She filled in the amount, asked for Lucas's full name, signed, and gave it to him. Lucas, however, wasn't finished. "Now, don't worry. You weren't going to get a $1000 or a date from me anyway. Do you want to know how I know how? I don't make bets for fun or money, I make them to show how much faith and confidence I have in outcomes, and in this case, I had just as much faith in Dawn's performance as I had in your incompetence. So here's the takeaway, you leave this on good terms and not cross us again, or next time you'll lose more than $1000 and some self-esteem," Lucas said in a brutally confident voice that seemed to shake her with every word he said. Valerie shakily and quickly nodded before closing her purse shut and turning to talk Ava vociferously.

Lucas ignored their conversation; he stared at the check in his lap that had just paid for his mother's treatment for this month and turned to Barry, waving the check in front of him. "You know, Barry, I might just walk out of here with $1400 in my pocket."

"Heh, y-yeah. O-or $600," Barry replied weakly. Just as he finished, Alyssa gallantly walked onto the stage, her dress flowing behind her and Pokeball in hand, as Maria followed right behind her. Barry was once again taken aback as Alyssa stood boldly on stage, curtsying politely with Maria before raising her Pokeball high, riling the crowd into a frenzied thundering of applause for the two competitors.

Barry began biting his nails as he locked focus onto Alyssa's alluring presence. "Damn, I'm really excited for this one. I just _know_ Alyssa's gonna win!" Barry said with an infectious grin.

"You just watch, Barry; she'll make it to the finals," Lucas staidly stated. "If Dawn can make it, chances are Alyssa will, too." Barry simply nodded and looked on to the two women now at opposite ends of the stage, waiting for the battle to begin.

Just as with the previous battle a screen displayed the names of the trainers, their Pokemon, a health-bar, and a countdown clock in red font. The audience once again began counting down: "Three, Two, ONE! Fight!" Alyssa released her Pokeball as her fluffy brown Eevee landed swiftly on all fours, its large eyes narrowed with focus while Maria opened here Pokeball, releasing a fluttering Beautifly that hovered in the airspace above Maria. The levels of the two Pokemon appeared on the display, giving Barry reason to relieve.

"They're the same level, at least," he sighed, melting into his seat as his anxiety began to dissipate.

"Yeah, two level twelve players, huh. But this means that whoever wins this match will be fighting a downhill battle with Dawn: Hazel is only level 10," Lucas said a sudden expression of concern spreading across his face.

"Then this'll be a fun final battle: for me, of course," Barry mockingly said. Lucas simply shook his head and kept watching the battle unfold before him. Alyssa launched the first strike, calling for a Quick Attack. Julia immediately obeyed, charged, and made contact with Martha by leaping into the air and slamming her across Martha thorax using her bodyweight: all before Martha and Maria could register what happened. "YES!" Barry excitedly uttered, the energy spilling out of him and causing him to rapidly fidget in his seat. But Martha seemed not very affected by the hit. She simply shifted a bit, shook a bit, reoriented herself, and flew back above Maria as though nothing had happened.

"Martha, use Sunny Day!" Maria called out to her partner. As Martha began to charge up a bright, glowing ball of light energy as she had done during the appeals round, Alyssa gave a second command to Julia.

"Use Sand Attack!" Alyssa yelled. Julia flung her head back to as energy consolidated into solid particles of sand around her mouth. She threw her head forward again releasing a small volume of glowing sand at Martha, who fluttered heavily and released her glowing "sun" into the air above the stadium, powerfully brightening the environment and even causing Julia to lose her footing for a moment to avoid the searing, bright light. Julia's attack still hit home, however, causing Martha to waver and bank to the left and then the right as her vision became blinded and her eyes irritated by the sand. While Eevee regained its stance and Martha regained her vision's clarity, both contestants stole a glance at the screen to see that Maria's points were barely behind Alyssa's.

"Martha, use Gust!" Maria ordered, thrusting her arm forward as though to indicate a charge. Martha flew high and then turned her trajectory downwards: right above Julia. Her dive angle became steeper and steeper as she beat her wings harder and harder, causing them to glow a radiant but opaque white color.

"Julia, avoid the gust by moving around as much as you can!" Alyssa called, a slight tinge of worry in her voice. Julia kicked off from her stance and began moving quickly to the left and right, trying to avoid the incoming attack from above.

"Keep adjusting your course!" Maria ordered. Every time Julia changed directions or accelerated, Martha made small changes to her own trajectory to continually line her sights up with the target, even though her vision was impeded by the previous Sand Attack.

"Quick Attack to evade!" Alyssa called, pulling her right arm in front of her face to shield against the incoming gust. Julia again dashed at tremendous speed to her left in order to vanish from the already weak aim of Martha. Martha suddenly pulled her dive to come at an angle parallel to the ground at a height of a couple feet, easily following Julia's fleeting presence.

"Fire!" Maria yelled just before her Pokemon fully opened and shut her wings repeatedly, releasing the energy built up in her wings and creating a blast of air that not only lifted Julia off the ground but tossed her into a nearby wall with a frightening THUD.

Barry shivered in his seat as he saw Julia slump off the small dent she made in the wall and onto the floor where she promptly shook herself and got up, though her eyes clearly indicated weakness and difficulty. "They may be at the same level, but Maria is a much more capable opponent than Lucille," he said, loud enough to earn a hideous glare from Valerie.

"Yeah, they're equal on the scoreboards now," Barry wearily replied. Both Alyssa and Maria had their bars at the halfway mark with the clock showing one-minute left.

"Alright! Use Stun Spore!" Maria exuberantly called to Martha. Martha charged her wings up with green energy and flapped vigorously to release dust that fluttered around the stage, but the attack missed Julia entirely. The entire left side of the stage was covered in paralyzing spores, but Julia was on the left side: Julia's Sand Attack had finally worked. Barry rapidly turned to look at the screen and then back at the action: Alyssa was at halfway but Martha was at a quarter due to her missed attack.

Alyssa fanned away the spores near her dress and shouted, "Julia, use Sand Attack, again!" Julia threw her head forward one more time, accelerating a small amount of sand that hit the Beautifly dead on, causing her to shortly ground herself in order to regain her control and recover from the irritation, her points dropping slightly.

"No matter. Martha, finish this with Absorb!" Maria firmly said, and Martha followed immediately. Energy began to flow from Julia as Martha once again took to the air and seemed to gain her energy and health again. The rays from the artificial sun created by Martha increased the strength of the attack, eliciting a painful cry from the little Eevee. Julia wilted and struggled to remain standing as Martha flew faster and seemed to have far more power than her opponent all of a sudden. Alyssa's points began to dip as her marker went below her opponent's with only an eighth of her bar to go.

"She's behind Maria. She might not end up—"

"Shut up, Lucas. She'll win this anyways," Barry spat, gripping his armrests with the strength of a Machamp.

"Julia! Snap out of it! Use Quick Attack!" Alyssa shouted, and Julia once again leaped into the air at lightning speed, hitting the Beautiful mid-air and kicking off of it to reach the ground once more. Jarred by the sudden and ferocious strike, Martha wavered on her stance and fell a bit lower, struggling to beat her wings fast enough to stay afloat in the air. "Julia, another Quick Attack!" Alyssa said, her voice indicating a polite but firm confidence.

"Martha, use Bug Buzz and finish this battle!" Maria cried in response. The clock on the screen ticked from ten as both Pokemon began to charge up their final attacks. Martha's wings vibrated with light green energy that released a horrible buzzing pitch as they gathered force, unlike what had happened when she used the attack during the appeals round. Julia began her charge and sped up once again to blazing speed. She collided with her target just as Martha released her Bug Buzz. A distinct THUD could be heard to the audience as a small dust cloud obscured the results of the match.

"It's over," Barry said, nearly leaping fully from his seat.

"Yeah, but who won?"

The dust soon parted from the stage, leaving quite the scene. Alyssa and Maria were both shielding themselves and their elegant attire from the parting dust while on the ground at the center of the stage was Julia, panting heavily next to a fainted Martha. Barry fully jumped out of his seat and did a full run along the entire row, jumping with radiant excitement. Alyssa and Maria recalled their respective Pokemon before waving to the crowd. The audience thundered with applause, and to Lucas's slight dismay, thundered slightly louder than they had for Dawn. Maria smiled and went back to the backstage while Alyssa blew a kiss to the crowd before she turned to leave. She paused for a moment, however, as she caught the rapidly moving Barry out of the corner of her eye. She held her hand over her mouth to conceal a pleasurable smile at his fanatics before proceeding off of the stage. After he had released enough energy and excitement to replace the heat of an Alolan sun, Barry finally sat down in his seat next to Lucas.

"Ya done?" Lucas asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, I've got to rest from time to time too, you know?"

" _You_ have to rest? I would have never believed that."

"You probably won't believe that you'll give me 400 dollars in a few minutes, but you should prepare yourself."

"Oh, I'm prepared alright: to walk out of here with 1400 dollars."


	10. Chapter 10: All for a Good Show—Part III

**So we'll finally see the end of the contest here, and with that, there'll be some new elements to allow the plot to progress at full speed now. Now, I'll say this beforehand so that I can dictate how the chapter is read: I've tried a bunch of new stuff in this chapter in that a lot of both plot devices and writing strategy that are implemented here I have never implemented before, so if something is off, do me a favor and let me know in the review so I won't make the same error twice, or even worse, more than that.**

Chapter 10: All for a Good Show—Part III

"I've never seen so many spectacular battles from rookie coordinators!" Helena said as she gallantly entered the stage once more. "Alyssa is the victor of this match!" she said, raising Alyssa's hand high, as he had done to Dawn before her. "Well, we have one more match ahead of us: today's finale! In a few minutes we will see the first Sinnoh finale battle between rookie coordinators in ten years, and, ladies and gentleman, I'm sure it'll be one that is hard to forget!"

The audience wildly roared in anticipation as the contestants and Helena promptly exited the stage. In the front row of seats, Barry sat nervously twiddling his thumbs while Lucas sat staidly with an empty stare at the floor of the stage. "No matter what happens in the coming minutes, we should agree that both Alyssa and Dawn are equals, even though one has to win," Barry politely proposed to Lucas, trying to remove any future rivalry that could be espoused by the current situation.

"I thought that went without saying, but I agree," Lucas responded, removing his hat and letting his hair free. He balled it up in his hands and slid it into his pocket. A sudden emptiness in the space next to him came to his attention, and he turned his head to the right to observe: Valerie and her company had apparently left their seats during the last battle.

All for the better. I hated her.

"We've got a gym battle of our own coming up, don't we?" Lucas began, "It's in Oreburgh, right? The rock-type gym?"

"It is; the leader's name is Roark. I don't think beating him is gonna be very tough. I mean, we've got a grass and water type Pokemon already, and he uses Rock Types," Barry confidently said.

"Barry, if we're planning on battling him in our current state, we're in deep shit, you know that?"

"What? Lucas, we have the type advantage. How are we gonna lose to—"

"Our starters may have the type advantage, but you don't have any other Pokemon and my other two Pokemon are at a disadvantage. Our game is all in one basket right now." Barry held a serious expression for a moment before he broke and started laughing. "What? I didn't say anything funny."

"No, you rarely do," Barry jokingly shot back, causing Lucas to narrow his eyes with a look of humorous dissatisfaction. "But I just remembered that I haven't told you what happened yesterday after I left you and Dawn after the, uh, incident."

"What happened?"

"I caught a Starlee and a Shinx."

"Oh," Lucas said half-mindedly before realizing what Barry had just said to him. "Wait what? A Shinx and a Starlee? What'd you name them?"

"I named the Shinx Alexander and the Starlee Gawain."

"Gawain?"

"Yeah, why?"

Lucas chuckled, "I named mine Galahad."

"We keep this up and we'll have ourselves a complete Round Table," Barry promptly joked, eliciting a short laugh from the two friends until Helena appeared on stage again, this time with Dawn and Alyssa by either of her sides. Both seemed to have a very cheery look on their faces, as though they couldn't be more ecstatic to see each other on the opposite sides of the stage.

"We will now begin our final battle for today, and based on what we've seen so far, I'm sure we can all expect to see something unexpected and wonderful in the battle to come. Without any further ado, let's get ready for the battle between the two semi-finalists: Dawn Avery and Alyssa McClide!"

The audience quietly applauded, as though their tense anticipation for their battle had numbed their motor skills. Alyssa and Dawn each walked to the opposite sides of the stage as they had done for their two prior battles as Helena exited. The screen once again brightly lit up with the names of the contestants, their Pokemon, the countdown timer, and the healthbar. Once again, the audience thundered a countdown initiating the gallant duel that was about to envelop in front of them.

"Julia, dazzle them!" Alyssa said, releasing her furry, brown Pokemon onto the stage floor. Dawn responded by silently releasing Hazel, who jumped out of the ball and materialized with seemingly more energy and enthusiasm than when the audience last saw her. Both Pokemon furiously eyes each other as their pictures and level appeared on the screen.

"Wait, what?" Barry said, looking a bit shocked by what appeared on the screen before him. "I thought that Hazel was just a level ten, but it looks like she's a level eleven now?"

"That last battle must've given her just what she needed to increase to another level," Lucas said with a smirk that indicated he saw the battle beginning to lean to Dawn before it even began.

"Julia, use Tackle!" Alyssa called out, and Julia almost instinctively began making a beeline for the Pokemon right in front of her.

"Hazel, keep moving and dodge that!" Dawn countered. As Julia began to plow across the stage, lowering her head to create a more streamlined charge, her furry and soft feet allowed her to move swiftly and silently as though she was a cute, plushy, ambush predator, Hazel used her multiple limbs to quickly weave and dodge with drastic changes in velocity, making it harder for Julia to find her target. But Julia's padded feet seemed to give her more grip on the stage and allowed her to keep up with Hazel's swift movements, and as she closed in on Hazel, she seemed less and less likely to miss. At the moment that the two Pokemon would seem to have collided, Hazel used her forelimbs to give a final push into the ground that moved her quickly enough to the side to miss the full force of the tackle, but Julia still managed to hit her rear limbs, knocking the little monkey over and sending it tumbling for a few feet.

Dawn's expression was tense: a level 15 Furfrou could not handle Hazel's speed and agility, but a level 12 Eevee seemed to be able to hold on just fine. She looked at the screen: Hazel lost a tenth of her points while Julia only lost a twentieth because of an incomplete hit. "Hazel, use Ember!" she ordered, and Hazel gladly obeyed, firing up a little ball of flame and throwing it at the opposing Julia. Julia began to quickly move in order to make herself a difficult target as Hazel had done before her, but to no avail. The small set of hot flames that Hazel spat hit her dead in the chest, searing her and making her give out a yelp in pain. Shaking off the weak fire-type attack, Julia regained her stance and awaited her next order.

"Now! Use Sand Attack!" Alyssa said, balling up her left fist. Just as she had done in the previous battle, Julia prepared an attack of blinding sand and dust.

"Counter that with Smokescreen!" Dawn shot back, and Hazel began to collect smoke and ash from a fire smoldering inside of her. Julia threw her attack first, having the higher speed, but just as she released the volume of sand and dust, she collapsed and small sparks and embers began to fly off from her torso where she had been hit by the Ember attack. The audience gasped as the Julia was on the floor, shaking as she tried to get up while her Sand Attack made contact with Hazel.

The little monkey persisted through the searing irritation of the sand on her face and eyes and continued to build her smoke and ash and finally released a second later, but the damage was done. The Sand Attack had reduced her accuracy far enough for her Smokescreen to almost hit Alyssa instead of her actual target. Dawn and Alyssa both gritted their teeth in frustration as they saw both of their points to dip to the halfway mark.

"Hazel, use Smokescreen again!" Hazel once again began churning a fire and collected all of the ash and smoke in her mouth to blind Julia.

Alyssa seemed more than happy at Dawn's particular choice of attack. "Julia, use Quick Attack!" Julia bolted to Hazel in a flash and used her agility and speed to slam into the monkey's torso while it was still in the middle of its attack. In the blink of an eye, Julia charged, hit, and fled back to Alyssa's side while Hazel, unable to perceive the incoming attack, was thrown to the side, and had her building smokescreen explode around her, clouding her in a massive swarm of smoke and ash.

Alyssa had the smile of impending victory printed across her face as she began her final assault. "Julia! Use Quick Attack again and again!" Julia once again bursted into a high-speed charge and knocked the dazed Hazel before she could recover from the misfire of her own attack.

"Hazel, use Ember!" Dawn said, hoping to get more damage off of the already burned Julia, but before Hazel could attack, Julia bashed her again with lightning speed, knocking the little monkey back into the smoke cloud. Crawling out of the other end of the now dissipating cloud of smoke and dust, Hazel shakily stood up, her points only at a tenth of their maximum while Julia had almost 45% of hers remaining.

"One more Tackle, let's finish this!" Alyssa strongly said, tasting victory.

"Don't move, Hazel," Dawn said, much to Alyssa's surprise. The audience gasped with shock at Dawn's confidence at what seemed like a ridiculous order but obeyed without question. She stood her ground and saved her energy as Julia charged at her head on with increasing speed.

"NOW! Use Ember!" Dawn called, and just as the charging mass of fur neared Hazel, she released a small ball of fire that hit Julia square in the face, making her waver and veer before realigning her course at a slower, weaker pace. She was mere inches away from a Hazel who was defensively covering herself with her arms when a fire once again erupted from her burn wound, causing her to collapse and hit the floor head first at full speed before sliding into and colliding with Hazel, sending the two into a rolling heap of fire and dust before they finally separated and splayed out on the floor. The audience held their breath as the screen now showed a camera's view of the two Pokemon. Hazel lay on the floor, clearly unconscious and incapacitated while Julia lay on the ground next to her, her tail ever so slightly swaying before she too stopped moving and fainted alongside her competitor.

The audience began to roar with delight and appreciation like it did for no other match before, so loud, in fact, that Helena's speech and announcements a few minutes later were barely audible to crestfallen Lucas and an ecstatic Barry in the front row. Barry, shooting a smug look at Lucas, reached out his hand to Lucas and rubbed his thumb and index finger together.

On the stage, Alyssa gave the sweetest and impressive smile to the audience, exuding a look of both gratitude and confidence, but, much to Lucas's surprises, was no different in appearance to Dawn. Lucas expected to see a difficult smile that hid dejection at a loss, but Dawn seemed genuinely enthralled in the current circumstances, washing away his own anguish at her loss and allowing him to hand over Barry's rightfully and luckily earned money with a smile. A few minutes later, Dawn retired to the backstage right before the judges came out to deliver their commendations and ribbon to Alyssa, who gratefully accepted them and blew one last kiss to the excited audience before also returning to the backstage. Helena gave a few closing remarks and left the stage herself, bringing the tumultuous and intense first contest of the season to a definite close.

Barry and Lucas slowly rose from their seats along with a majority of the audience. "See you in a bit. I think I'm going to talk to Dawn first and see, you know, how she's doing and all," Lucas said to Barry.

"Yeah, I was gonna the same thing about Alyssa. I guess we'll see each other at the gym then?" Barry said a bit nervously.

Lucas caught onto his slight warble and realized what was about to happen: "She's supposed to give you an answer about going on a journey with you, isn't she?"

"Exactly, pray this turns out well."

"I will, and I hope Dawn took this well because I don't want this loss to shadow over her or slow her down at all."

"Did you see her on stage? She took it really well."

"She could have been acting."

"Never thought about that…" Barry said allowing both to contemplate a plan of action to talk to their respective partners. Barry broke the momentary silence: "I'm going to leave. I want plenty of time today to train my Pokemon for that Gym Battle, you know."

"Same here, catch you later, then!" Lucas responded as the two finally joined the exiting crowd and once again entered the massive contest center looking for Dawn and Alyssa. After they'd exited the auditorium, Lucas quickly swiveled and scanned the relatively short crowd for Alyssa and Dawn, finding two people who seemed to resemble them in the throng. "Hey, Barry," he said, tapping Barry's shoulder, "I think that's them," he said, pointing to Alyssa and Dawn, who were in the midst of what seemed to be a humorous conversation.

"They're talking to each other; wouldn't it be weird if we just interrupted them?" Barry cautiously asked, worried as though the slightest misstep on his part would result in a rejection of his offer for Alyssa.

Lucas on the other hand, seemed to have a spine of steel and gave a reassuring response as they walked forwards: "No, and for two reasons: if they really were just having a conversation, they'd be talking and exiting the venue, but they're not, which means they're waiting for something or someone. Two: regardless of what the situation is, I think it's much weirder to camp here until they're done talking."

"You have a point," Barry said, nodding. The two reached Alyssa and Dawn, who were giggling, laughing, and otherwise commending each other, in a less than a minute.

Dawn was the first to take notice of the two and eased out of her laughter before waving. Lucas waved back and when they finally met, Dawn nearly threw him to the ground by suddenly lunging out and giving him a hug. Lucas's steel spine seemed to be molten by then because he simply held a dazed expression and was shaken like a rag doll while Dawn held him, making it terribly difficult for Barry and Alyssa to hold back their laughter.

Barry seized the moment of levity and quickly asked Alyssa if she wanted to have lunch, and she replied that she "most certainly would" with him. Barry and Alyssa said their goodbyes to Lucas and Dawn before heading out of the contest center, leaving Lucas and Dawn together as they strolled out the of the venue soon after. Lucas twiddled his thumbs uneasily. "So, uh, Dawn…"

"Mhm?"

"I-I just wanted to say that no matter what the results were, everyone in that audience knew that you perform exceptionally well and that you have more than enough talent and skill to make it to the Grand Festival. I know what it's like to miss your first shot, but I just want to make sure you're not giving up just yet, especially considering how awesome you were today."

"It's very nice of you to say that to me, thank you, but I'm not bummed about my loss at all," she giggled.

"You're not?" Lucas said, quite surprised. "I know that I'd be down at least a couple days before I wrapped my head around a coin-toss battle like that."

"I'm more than happy with how I performed today, even though I'm sure I could have done things better, and I'm even more happy about the fact that I was able to compete against Alyssa. I actually got a chance to talk to her right before the appeals round; she's really sweet, and I think we'd be perfect partners and rivals for contests, don't you think?"

"Like me and Barry, then?"

"Exactly."

"So…Where do you want to get lunch?"

"Let's just get to Pokemon Center and eat in the mess because that contest took a lot out of me, and I don't think I can walk too much."

"You're right, but if you want, we can just have pizza delivered to the room, you know?"

"That actually sounds perfect, can we do that?"

"Of course, I know a dude who works there and he owes me one, so let's say I'm cashing in a chit for us."

"Really? What'd you do for him?"

"It's a really long story, but shortened, it basically reads like this: I got him a job."

"How'd you do that?"

"That's the long-story part, and to be honest, it's not a fun one to tell, either."

"Okay," Dawn shrugged, dismissing the situation. Lucas, on the other hand, breathed a small sigh of relief, happy that his uncertainty about how Dawn would register to his story of him doing backdoor politicking and strong-arming was no longer an issue. The two silently and slowly strolled halfway to the Pokemon Center until Dawn suddenly broke the silence.

"She said yes," she almost blurted.

"What? Who said yes to what?" Lucas almost instantly said, confused by her sudden statement.

"Sorry, I was on a train of thought and forgot to give you context," she said, giggling.

Lucas would have given the world to stop time right there just to watch her laugh and enjoy her company in the cool wintry air. My goodness, does she have to be so cute when she smiles or laughs?

"Anyway," she continued, "I was talking about Alyssa. She told me about how you and Barry met her at the Denny's and how Barry asked her to join him on his journey today. She looked like she wanted to say yes, so just pressed her on that, especially because I know how much better you made this journey for me." Lucas tried hard to keep from melting on the spot while she continued to speak. "She said she thought it'd be a good idea to go with him, especially because she's new to the region and she thought it'd be best for her to spend time with somebody who knew their way around," she finished.

"I'm sure Barry's found out by now, and Alyssa's probably wondering how to contain him when he's excited right about… now" he joked, and the silence enveloped them again until they reached the mess at the Pokemon Center.

As usual, they quickly munched on the delicious food and went back to their rooms wearily and eager for a nap. Lucas plopped onto his bed like a rag doll and simply lay there, letting a dead stare into the ceiling while Dawn switched into her pajamas and fell down on her own bed.

Dawn turned over on her side and watched Lucas, his hands under his head, his cap by his side, and a powerful look of stern confidence and contemplation that exuded from him. She would have simply gotten up and cuddled next to him, considering how warm and inviting he looked at the moment, but her pessimism got the better of her and held her in place. She instead just asked him, "Whatcha' thinking so hard about?"

Lucas took a deep breath before answering. "I've got my first Gym Battle tomorrow."

"You do? Where is it?"

"Oreburgh. Barry and I agreed to be there by 11:00 p.m. in the afternoon, but if I know him, he'll be there long before I do and lunching with Alyssa by the time we get there," he said a smile betraying his otherwise staid expression.

"I for one can't wait to watch you battle."

"To be honest, I don't think it'll be fun to watch," Lucas somewhat glumly said, much to Dawn's surprise as she raised an eyebrow.

"What? Your Pokemon love you and you're not the kind of guy to overplay your hand, so no matter what you say, I'm going to watch the battle and have myself an awesome battle and have myself a good time doing it. Besides, I promised you that I'd watch all of your gym battles."

"But I don't how well I'll do if I'll do much of anything at all. I mean, I've studied Pokemon in school. I know how the battles work and how the Pokemon work, but I've only ever fought in one Pokemon battle and that was with Barry. As for skill, I don't even know what it takes to win a battle. By all measures of reality, I'm supposed to lose."

Dawn, amusedly curious, raised a pressing question: "Tell me," she said, smiling, "is that what you thought when I went to compete today at the contest? Because our situations aren't very different. I may have studied with the Professor for while, but like you, I never knew Pokemon personally, and just like you, I never had any real experience with the world of contests…" she said, her expression shifting downwards slightly. Lucas opened his mouth to speak when she placed her finger over it, effectively shutting him up. "Lucas, when you told me that I'd do well at today's contest, you don't know how happy I felt, how elated I was to finally hear somebody say that they believed in me…" Lucas felt a bit uneasy in the silence and opened his eyes for a moment, only to be caught in an endearing look from Dawn. "Did you mean it when you said that?" Lucas's gaze remained unwavering as he looked deeply into her longing eyes.

And then he laughed. A chuckle at first, before he erupted into a fountain of near childish giggling. Dawn, on the other hand, did her best to resist her temptation to laugh alongside him, instead grabbing the pillow from underneath his head and hitting him with it.

"Stop that. This isn't very funny," she said as seriously as she could, still involuntarily urged to laugh with him.

"Okay, okay, okay," he said, his laughter subsiding into short bursts of chuckles. He took a deep breath and regained his composure as he looked again into her mesmerizing, glowing blue eyes. "I was laughing because I can't believe that you thought I'd say something like that to mess with you. And what motive would I have to remove the captivating sparkle from those beautiful blue eyes?" He paused, temporarily caught off guard by her reddening cheeks, and continued. "And don't you dare sell yourself short like that: you may not think that have had a lot of experience with Pokemon personally, but I think you do. Nobody forms unbreakable trust with their new Pokemon in a matter of a week, but you did it with Hazel and showed an audience of hundreds how powerful that trust was. I've considered Pokemon battling to be nothing but a foolish child's dream for as long as I can remember, something like winning the lottery, and I didn't change my opinion on that until…" he said, closing his eyes as he remembered his mother's face. "Until I forced to embrace it with no other rational choice on my hands."

He opened his eyes again and sat up, his faces not far from Dawn's. He turned to face her now wildly blushing face and continued: "But you, you always wanted to be top coordinator. You've watched contests since childhood and studied the components of success and failure, thereby unconsciously molding yourself in the cast of victory. But still, even if I had absolutely no idea of those facts I would have still said you ready, destined, to become the Top Coordinator when I met you on the edge of Route 201. You know why?" He paused, as Dawn almost unconsciously moved her head closer to his.

"Why?" she softly whispered, now close enough for Lucas for Lucas to smell the intoxicatingly light-sweet scent of her perfume.

Lucas remained unfazed and warm despite the slowly closing distance between himself and Dawn, although he felt as though he had to keep every muscle and tendon of his under the weight of bricks to bring them into his control; even his jaw felt a non-existent stutter threatening it. _I've said harder things to tougher people before. And what's the worst that could happen? She'll leave in disgust or distaste is all. Oh shit, now that I think about that, that's a terrible fucking ending. Screw it: high risk, high reward._ "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, and I wouldn't believe it if anybody told me that you weren't destined to be anything but the best."

Dawn's eyes had now widened to the point where a kind kindled joy flooded out of them and into Lucas as she pulled her beanie off to hide her still blushing face. Lucas kindly smiled at her adorable antics and spoke again: "You know, you look even cuter when you blush," he chuckled. Dawn slowly put the beanie in her lap and faced Lucas again, the distance between their faces even less than before and a covert conversation ensuing between their eyes. She closed her eyes, moving ever closer. Lucas could feel his heart pounding at his ribs like a horse's hooves.

"Yeah, I, uh, should have a rest," he weakly said, falling back into his bed, using his left hand to grab the pillow out of Dawn's hand and place it under his head in the moment before it hit the mattress. Dawn just sat there, eyes suddenly open, her posture at just an odd slant now that Lucas was on the laying bed on. "I-I have the gym battle tomorrow, and I also thought that, you know, you could maybe help me train today evening or something?"

"Yeah. I could," Dawn said, a bit of feebleness battling over the strength and joy she had seemingly had only a few moments ago. "I guess I'll wake you up in a few hours. I'm not feeling all that sleepy myself."

"You're not going to sleep? But you had that contest today; you've got to be very tired."

"Well, looks like I'm not," she almost heartlessly said. The guilt now flooded Lucas with full force as he cursed himself over and over again in his head. _You masterful jackass. She was gonna actually k—HOW? HOW could you fuck that up?! You actually managed to PUNT on first down. Congratulations, I've met rocks with higher intelligence._

"I-if you're not going to sleep, then I'll stay awake too, keep you some company if you'd like," he shakily replied.

"Um, n-no thank you. You have your battle coming up, and as you said, you need your rest," she said, a bit of pain in her voice. Lucas lightly nodded before turning over and sleeping with his head under the pillow, as though it would give him any cover from the guilt that was now filling his head. His brain fought itself to understand why Lucas did what he just did, and in a few rather difficult minutes, he mentally exhausted himself to sleep.

As dusk neared and the light began to retreat from the room, Dawn pulled out her headphones, paused her music, and slowly made her way over to a peacefully sleeping Lucas, remembering the awkward moment they'd been through not too long ago. _Maybe h-he doesn't like me. He doesn't have to. Maybe he wants someone… better, someone who's stronger, braver. Like him. But he never said he didn't like me. Does that mean he does or that he doesn't_ not _like me? Lucas, would it have killed you to just give a straight answer?!_

She sat beside him on the bed again, suddenly forgetting why she came by as she looked at his relaxed and warm face as he slept soundly under the cool, white covers.

She then began giggling as she pulled his Pokeballs out from the drawer where he had kept them before he went to sleep. Shuffling through the ones there, she found what she was looking for: a Pokeball with a small blue bird on the indicator screen that showed what Pokemon was inside.

"Caesar, I'm gonna borrow you for a second," she said, releasing the proud penguin from the ball and into her lap. Caesar stood up shakily after crawling onto the bed and looked at the sleeping Lucas and then back at Dawn. Dawn nodded approvingly, and Caesar began gently pecking at Lucas, but Lucas just turned his body the other way and continued to sleep.

"PIPLUP!" his little Pokemon yelled frustratingly. Dawn just laughed and picked up the little bird, aiming it at Lucas's face.

"Okay, Caesar, use Bubble," she said, trying to imitate Lucas's voice in battle. Caesar fired a series of little bubbles at Lucas's face, soaking him and part of his pillow in a thin coat of mist and water.

By the time the first bubble had barely made contact with his skin, however, Lucas had shot his eyes open and flew awake. "Argh," he grouchily said as he sat up in a flash, one arm shielding him against the bubbles and the other raised to attack what his instincts perceived to be an assailant.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's just me!" Dawn said, defensively holding Caesar in front of herself.

Lucas looked at the little blue Pokemon as it happily tweeted at his soaked discomfort, its large eyes glistening with the joy of a successful prank. "Very funny, Caesar. Maybe you don't want to battle tomorrow?" Caesar shut up immediately and was stiff as a soldier. "Nah, I would never do that. Come here," he said, smiling, and picked the penguin away from Dawn ruffling its feathers and setting it down on the bed where it played around on the fluffy terrain, trying to maintain balance on the unstable surface. "You turned my Pokemon against me!" he joked, turning to Dawn. "I'm sorry, but the rules say going to have to get you back for that."

"You can't exactly ask Hazel to use Ember on me while I'm sleeping," she laughed.

"You're right, but I've got other plans in mind."

"What kind of plans?"

"I don't know: the kind of plans that involve, you, Alyssa, Barry, me, and a battle in about twenty minutes."

"Wait, Barry and Alyssa are practicing with us? You didn't tell me that."

"I just thought of the idea. I mean, Barry needs the practice, too, so I thought it'd be nice if all four of us battled together, since we've all got tougher battles in our future anyway."

"Hmm… I like that idea. Maybe practicing with Alyssa will give me a better shot when we meet for the next contest, don't you think?"

"It sure it will, and I'm sure she'll be thinking the same thing."

"Are we just going to have a free for all or will we have 2v2?"

"Considering that I need to stand opposed to Barry, and you want to stand opposed to Alyssa, I think that we should have a 2v2: you and me against Barry and Alyssa. How does that sound?"

"That… that sounds wonderful. But are you sure you want to battle with me? I mean, I don't know if I'm at your skill—"

"Dawn, this was exactly what I was talking about when I said don't sell yourself short. As far as I know, you've actually shown more potency in battle than Barry or me when you went to perform during that contest today because the last time he and I battled at all was more than 24 hours ago. My point: I would be pleased to battle with you; besides, battling with me is the only way you can get back at Alyssa. You know that right?"

"Yeah, I know that. Alright then, you want to call Barry while I freshen up for a bit?"

"Sounds good," Lucas said, nodding. After receiving the OK from Barry and Alyssa, Lucas and Dawn departed from their room, picked up Hazel from the healing center downstairs, and headed out the door to Route 203 where they said they agreed to battle. Once they'd departed from the bright lights and multi-colored glow of Jubilife, the quiet, peaceful dusk set in around them.

As the sun gave way to its starry cousins, the air drew the crisp scent of pines and Hill Hardy rosemary as the breaths of Lucas and Dawn instantly condensed into thick clouds of steam in the frigidity. Walking side by side, they both seemed entranced by the suddenly visible city of stars in the sky above them.

Dawn shuddered as a light breeze made her silky hair catch the air and Lucas's for a few moments. "It's a bit chilly, isn't it?" she smiled.

"I'm guessing you're not used the cold yet?" Lucas said, laughing.

"No," Dawn sadly said, "I came to Sinnoh last year in the winter, but I stayed inside for most of the time helping the Professor with research, and to be honest, this is my first time actually walking around in the snow and cold."

"Well as cute as you look, Dawn, those aren't exactly winter clothes," Lucas laughed, imputing the blame on her mini-dress and skirt. Dawn's complexion began shifting rapidly to pink, but she thanked the early onset of the night in the winter for concealing her blush. "Here," Lucas said, removing his coat-jacket, "Put this on." He carefully wrapped the thick, wool-lined coat around the shiver Dawn, and although it fit him properly as a coat, it was almost a little blanket when scaled against Dawn. "Better?" he asked a now relieved Dawn who nodded with delight at both the increased warmth and soft crunching of fresh snow underneath her feet. "Before my gym battle tomorrow, we should go get you a nice jacket or something because the cold only gets worse, trust me."

"We'll do that. I got some money from the contest, so I guess buying winter clothes is a good way to spend it," she said quietly, as though the chill was removing the air from her lungs too quickly. Slightly perturbed by her persistent and clear discomfort with the cold, Lucas ever so carefully wrapped his right arm around her, causing the otherwise cold Dawn to suddenly become warm enough to melt in his arms. Feeling his reassuring warmth and firmness of his arm, she moved closer to him until their shoulders touched, comfortably resting her tired head on the cozy, soft wool sweater that was on Lucas's shoulder.

Lucas gently patted her, keeping his arm wrapped around her and holding her close to him. "The sky is so pretty, isn't it? Each of those stars is a like a little pearl," Dawn said, marveled by the night sky that was otherwise obscured by city lights.

"I can name almost every constellation up there," Lucas said, pointing to the sky.

"Oh really?" Dawn said, somewhat quizzically.

"Don't believe me? Point to any set of stars and I can tell you what constellation they're part of."

"Um… that one," she said, pointing to a large constellation with three bright collinear stars.

"That's an easy one: Orion."

"Yeah, you're right. How about that one?" she asked, this time pointing to a set of five bright stars that formed no real shape.

"Cassiopeia," Lucas confidently replied.

"Wow. I didn't think you'd get that one. Okay, that one over there," she said, this time pointing to a massive cluster of many stars that looked like the mangled remains of a brittle star more than a real constellation. _There's no way that's an actual constellation._

"Perseus."

"What?" Dawn confusedly asked, sure that she should have stumped Lucas with her last query.

"Yeah, that's the constellation Perseus," Lucas replied, not sure why she would be puzzled at all by his answer. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, of course not, it's just that I was sure that that was not a constellation. I mean look at it, how do you look at that thing and call it a Perseus?" Lucas laughed, pulling Dawn in closer. She, of course, didn't object, snuggling comfortably into his hold.

"I don't think you who Perseus is, huh?" Lucas said, smiling cheerfully.

"Who? I thought Perseus was a thing," Dawn chuckled, slightly embarrassed.

"No, he's actually an ancient mythical hero from Kalosian Mythology," he said. "Dawn, how do you feel about a hearing a quick story?"

"Ooo," she said with delighted surprise, "I'd love to hear one. Especially from you."

Lucas had a bright grin on his face as he began. "Alright," he started, using a slightly deeper voice that he employed for speeches or narrations in particular.

"There are actually two parts to this story, but I'll tell you the part that everyone knows about. Perseus, after slaying the Medusa—"

"What's a Medusa?"

"It's a monster: turns anyone who looks at its eyes into stone."

"Woah."

"Yeah, he's a mythical hero for a reason. Anyway, he kills this monster and is on his way back to defeat the king who wanted to marry his mother by force when he sees a beautiful maiden chained to a rock on the sea, waiting to be eaten by a sea monster. She's there because of her mother, Cassiopeia—"

"Wait… like the constellation?" she endearingly asked.

"Yeah, that constellation is named after her."

"Interesting, well, keep going!" she urged

"As I was saying, her mother told the gods that she was more beautiful than any of them, which consequently angered them, and they decided the rightful course of justice would be to chain her daughter Andromeda to a rock to be bait for a sea serpent."

"That's a bit…harsh."

"Hey, I didn't make this stuff up. Perseus slays the serpent, and Andromeda, smitten by his heroic action, marries him. He returns home with the Medusa's head, kills the evil king by turning him to stone with the head, and lives happily with his mum and step-father. The end. Well, there's the part where he accidentally but prophetically kills his grandfather, but again, it's not all that important."

"I'm expecting bedtime stories from now on, okay?"

"Didn't we already agree to watch a movie every day?"

"Why can't I have both?" she tenderly asked, enlarging her eyes and squeezing the sympathy out of Lucas.

"I'm going to have to find a way to still say no to you when you make that face, but sure, you can have both," Lucas yielded.

"Aw, thanks," she gushed, tightly hugging him for a moment. "Can ask you something?" she asked, investigative curiosity saturating her voice.

"Uh, ask away," Lucas replied, not knowing what to expect.

"The stories and the constellations: how do you all about them? I mean, that's pretty cool stuff, and I only remember learning very little about them in like 3rd grade."

"My father, mainly. He and I used to go on these long walks alongside Verity's shores at night, and in the summer and spring, the water was clear enough to reflect the whole night sky. Planets, stars, supernovas: you name it, he told me about it. He'd help me memorize all of the constellations he knew, and he talked about the stories that people gave to the constellations, and he used to say that if I tried hard enough, they'd make a constellation for me. He'd even tell me about the Sinnoh creation stories sometimes. You know, the ones about Arceus creating the universe in one Big Bang and how Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina formed and governed different parts of the universe. I walked there alone for a long time after he died, but it wasn't sad or anything. You just can't be sad in a happy, beautiful setting like that."

"Well, when we do get back home, can I take a walk with you?"

"I'd hate to go without you."


	11. Chapter 11: 2v2

**First off, thank you for all of the reviews from the last chapter. I understand that the sentencing was subpar, to say the least, so I went back and fixed quite a bit of it and will do my best this chapter to keep sentences more meaningful. And, this is for you Guest With Ideas, I don't know what martial arts style Lucas is using, to be honest. The thing is, I just sort of wrote that scene with whatever images popped up into my head and did my best to make it flow, though I'm not entirely sure if that worked out. Now, we'll finally get to a rival battle between the 4 main characters, and this is basically my first real non-gym battle, so any reviews on how to write better are much appreciated. Oh, I almost forgot: thank you to the readers in Venezuela and Germany for reading this: every view means a lot! Last, but not least, I gotta say: it's fun to watch Super Bowls as a Pats fan.**

Chapter 11: 2v2

Dawn, comfortable in Lucas's secure hold, walked alongside him through Route 203 in the hopes of meeting their trainer and coordinator counterparts in the snowy path that lay in front of them. Dawn's face shone a brilliant smile as she joked and mused with Lucas, debating whether Dialga or Palkia was the more powerful Sinnoh legendary.

"I researched the two in the Professor's lab, Lucas; Palkia is by far the most powerful. It controls _space_ and has the power to shred the universe!"

"Cute, Dialga can reverse time and _prevent_ the universe. Heck, he can prevent Palkia too!"

"Legend says nothing can survive Palkia's Spacial Rend."

"Clearly, legends haven't investigated Dialga properly. Roar of Time is so powerful that it once destroyed a planet that almost collided with Earth!"

"Oh yeah, well Palkia can—" she began before she was cut short by some loud rustling in the path nearby, causing the two to suddenly part from their warm contact and stand on guard.

"What was that?" Dawn said in a surprised whisper.

"I don't know. But it sounds too small to be a person, so it's probably a Pokemon."

Dawn quietly gasped with excitement, fetching Hazel's Pokeball from her pocket and taking a stance to throw it. "I'm going to catch it!" she confidently said, slowly stepping toward the small ferns where the rustling came from. But just as she set her foot forward to advance, the rustling stopped. Dawn turned to Lucas, hoping he knew what to do since the Pokemon must have been aware of their presence. "Uh, Lu—"

"MEDITIIITE!" the Pokemon loudly squeaked before floating out of the bush and entering the road where it made itself hover not too far in front of Dawn. The cute, blue little Pokemon looked like a cloud with arms and legs, seated in a meditating pose in the air. Its eyes glowed with power and ferocity, but the strength seemed to be leashed to a mentality of intelligence and discipline. "MEDITITE!" the Pokemon roared, it began to hover a bit higher and levitated small pebbles and stones on the path.

"A Meditie, huh? Alright, GO, HAZEL!" Dawn said, throwing Hazel's Pokeball as the little Pokemon landed on its two feet, embers rising from its mouth. It looked at its opponent, eager for combat.

"Hazel, start this off with Ember!" Dawn yelled, a frosty wisp of steam rising as she spoke. Hazel quickly charged a small shot of flames and spit it at the Pokemon in front of it, hitting it squarely in the face but not doing much damage. The Meditite glowed in a pinkish aura and closed its eyes, seemingly channeling energy somewhere. Nothing happened.

"Huh? That… that did nothing," Dawn said, confused by the apparent lack of change in the battle situation despite the buildup created by the pinkish aura. "Whatever, Hazel, use Smo—" Hazel suddenly grabbed her head, squealing and cooing with pain. Disoriented, it leaned heavily to the left until it fell over until the shock of hitting the ground finally allowed it to return to its senses. Hazel shakily stood up as it brushed the dust off of its fur, the small pieces of ember coming from its mouth now a ferocious blue color. "It knows Confusion?!" Dawn exclaimed, even more motivated to have this Pokemon join her in her endeavors. "It has to be a psychic type! Okay, Hazel, use Leer!" Hazel glowered menacingly, just as it had done in the contest that day, and seemed to be chewing on the soul of the opposing Pokemon as it gritted its teeth ferociously. The Meditite seemed to have been senselessly frightened by the display because it lowered itself from its higher defensive stance and hovered only a few feet above the ground. Dawn smiled as it knew that the Pokemon had just put itself in perfect striking distance for Hazel. The Meditite glowed blue this time, closing its eyes and tightening its fists. By the time the aura had dissipated, its face seemed more intense and it seemed feistier, ready to deliver a powerful physical attack. _Crap, it raised its attack stat! Hazel can't take a hit from a Pokemon like that… so here goes nothing._ "Hazel, use Scratch as hard as you can!" Dawn emphatically said as Hazel took off to meet the hovering Pokemon. Even before the Meditite could easily float to a different direction Hazel, and her glowing arm, slashed the Pokemon across the sides, before landing softly on the floor and seeing a red and white object fly over her head. The moment Hazel had completed her attack, Dawn threw her Pokeball, striking the Meditation Pokemon before it had the chance to counter Hazel's attack.

The ball hit the crunchy snow with only a few bounces before resting: perfectly still.

One shake.

Two shakes. _Come on. Come on. Lucas is watching, too!_

Nothing. Dawn cupped her hands over her face, peeking anxiously through an opening in her fingers.

Three shakes.

A shrill but delicate click. "YES!" Dawn said, leaping with joy. She immediately ran over to the Pokeball, raising it high and gleefully smiled at Lucas who just stared, stunned at her beautiful exuberance. "Well, aren't you going to say something to me?" she playfully said, walking over to him.

"What could you expect me to say when you keep taking my breath away?"

"Just that," she smiled, releasing her Meditie onto the floor and recalling Hazel. "Now, we need to find a name for you," she said, kneeling down and nuzzling the little creature as it cooed in her gentle arms. "Hmm… Martha, Mary, Madeline… Margaret? Margaret: how does that sound to you?" The Pokemon softly cooed again as it tapped its Pokeball and returned inside again. Dawn held the sphere in her hands, looking into its reflective white top: "Welcome to the team, Margaret." She clipped the two Pokeballs into a magnetic strip that lined a pocket of her bag before walking to Lucas's side again. "Ready to keep going?"

"Of course," he replied, gesturing forward. She latched onto his arm again as the two walked quietly into the clearing ahead where they had agreed to meet Barry and Alyssa. They stopped walking once they'd reached the center, looking around to see if their counterparts were there as planned. "Where do you th—"

"ABOUT DAMN TIME!" Barry roared, throwing his arms up in mild frustration, startling Lucas, Dawn, and even Alyssa, who stood right next to him as they walked into the clearing. Lucas and Dawn separated like opposing charges, suddenly standing several feet apart. "We've been waiting here for almost _fifteen_ minutes!"

"Barry," Lucas sighed, directing his eyes in Dawn's direction. "We just got hung up."

"Hung up?" Barry said, missing the point, "What the hell do you—oh. OH. Never mind then, a valid excuse," he said, nodding. "So what're we going to do? I think a two on two will be best?"

"I agree," Dawn said stepping in with Alyssa.

"How 'bout we have you and Dawn against me and Barry?" Alyssa politely suggested.

"Dawn and I were going to say the same thing. Then let's have ourselves a battle! Dawn and I will take this side," he said, motioning to the area of the clearing from which they had just come.

"Perfect, Alyssa and I will take this end," Barry responded as the two teams took to the opposite ends of the clearing.

"Have you ever fought with Lucas before?" Alyssa called from the other side of the field to Dawn.

"No, have you ever battled with Barry?" Dawn asked back.

"No, I can't believe we're lettin' ourselves put our honor and glory in the hands of these rookies!" Alyssa joked.

"I'm sorry, but aren't you guys rookies, too?" Lucas questioned.

"Fair point," Barry concurred.

Alyssa raised her protest before silencing her objection, realizing that Lucas had the final word. "Well, y'all wanna' start now?" Alyssa said, changing the subject and pulling a Pokeball from her small purse.

"Now is a better time than any other: Prometheus, you're up!" Lucas called, sending out his adorably ferocious little Charmander.

"Go get 'em, Margaret!"

"Julia, you're up first!"

"Alexander, eyes on Prometheus!"

The three released their respective Pokemon onto the cool ground of the clearing, the attention clearly drawn to Prometheus as its gold body glistened and reflected in the snow below from the warm light of its tail. There was a moment of tense silence as the trainers stood, eyeing each other's Pokemon, crunching numbers and matching types, rapidly strategizing for the battle to come.

"Julia! Quick Attack on Prometheus!" Alyssa blasted and the little Eevee blazed across the battlefield, colliding into small Torch Pokemon before it or Lucas had a chance to react.

"Dammit," Lucas cursed under his breath, as he saw Dawn step forward for an attack of her own.

"Margaret, use Confusion on Julia before she moves!" Dawn commanded, trying to prevent get a hit off of Julia before she ran back to Alyssa's side of the clearing. Margaret closed her eyes and levitated as she enveloped herself in a pink aura.

"Julia, use Quick Attack to dash outta' there!" Alyssa worriedly said, trying to move Julia out of range before the attack hit, but it was of no use: Julia began to halt her escape as she tilted to her side slightly, dizzied. She used her front foot to rapidly scratch at her head, as though she were trying to free herself of her mental tick.

"Keep at it, Margaret, you're doing just—"

"The hell are we waiting for? Alex, Spark Margaret out!" Barry interrupted. Alexander turned to the Meditite whose eyes were closed shut, still concentrating on immobilizing Julia. The little Shinx built up a flashing yellow charge around itself that gradually concentrated in its mouth before it threw it at the otherwise unaware Meditite.

By the time the flash had alerted Dawn to the incoming attack, there was nothing that she could do but watch the lightning fast spark coming to zap the daylights out of Margaret. She closed her eyes as the blinding light neared and heard a sizzling crash in front of her before she peered to see what had happened.

Margaret was no longer levitating and her aura had clearly dissipated but a small yellow, electric current seemed to envelop her: paralysis. She wobbled on her two legs and her aura flickered lightly again as she rose to levitate again, clearly preferring to be in the air over the ground. Barry had a victorious smirk on his face, to Lucas's displeasure more than Dawn's, and decided to capitalize on Margaret's incapacitation.

"Alexander, lunge for the kill," he said, motioning towards Margaret again.

"Julia, help Alexander with a Quick Attack on Margaret!"

Julia converged on Meditie with her signature rapid pace while Alex decided to charge head-on at Meditite with the Spark attack still stored in his mouth, both looking to deliver the most potent blow to eliminate Margaret from the equation.

"Oh no, Margaret, you need to Protect yourself: use Detect!" Dawn called, perceiving the two attacks right as they kicked off. Margaret's right eye flashed a flaming blue while she took a rapid glance at the two oncoming attacks. She waited: not a muscle of her form moved an inch as the two attacks neared her by the second.

Julia was the first to reach Margaret, only a fraction of a second before Alexander, but much to her surprise, nothing happened. She charged at Margaret, or where Margaret was the instant before she made contact because Margaret had seemed to know the outcome of the attack long before it happened, levitating herself out the path of Julia and letting her run her course into an empty section of the clearing. With Julia now struggling to brake herself before she Quick-Attacked into the tall grass, Margaret expertly weaved and dodged the electrical mayhem that was the Spark coming from Alexander, causing the little black Pokemon to miss the target like its partner fly straight into the same empty section of the clearing, doing no harm to Margaret but leaving her weak and breathless as the paralytic electricity arced and sparked around her, sending her into the floor from her hovering point above the ground.

"What in the name of Holy Arceus was that? None of our attacks even hit?" Alyssa asked with bewilderment.

"She used a defensive move so she would survive that turn, but she can't use it again. Let's try this one more time!" Barry roared confidently as Julia and Alexander reared on their hind legs and rotated back into an attack position to assail the Meditite.

"Alexander, use everything you got with another—"

"Prometheus, open fire on those two," Lucas coolly and firmly ordered, as Prometheus rotated his flaming mouth to release Ember attacks on both Julia and Alex, who were now very near each other after their missed trajectories of the previous attack.

"Shit: Alex, cover for Julia," Barry said without the slightest hint of hesitation.

Alyssa turned to him awed protest, "What? Barry, you don't have to—"

"FIRE!" Lucas thundered as Prometheus let loose his stored flames like a salvo from a battleship. The searing balls of fire pelted Alexander as he stood as cover in front of Julia, shielding her to his best ability, wincing from the pain. Lucas and Prometheus had not yet finished their assault, deciding to deal all the damage they could before Barry decided to move to the offensive. "Open fire, again." The little Prometheus fired yet another small flame ball at the Shinx across the field, hoping to take him out before he became any real threat.

Alyssa realized that keeping Julia sheltered would cost them more in the long run, unable to sustain the pelting from the Embers after Margaret's Confusion. "Julia, get out of there, now!" she ordered, hoping to get Julia to escape before Charmander fired another volley, and the fleet-footed Pokemon made a desperate dash back towards Alyssa's side of the field.

Prometheus diverted his attention momentarily from the struggling Alexander, looking to peg the fleeing Julia in the midst of its escape, but Lucas immediately interfered. "Forget about her, buddy; just don't take your eyes off of Alexander. Fire a Smokescreen!" Lucas confidently said, looking to prevent Alex from getting another Spark off of any more Pokemon. While Alexander shakily propped himself onto his two feet, Prometheus built a small ball of ash and smoke from a partially burning fire, charging an irritating concoction of blackness which he hurled away at Alexander. By the time the little lynx got up, the Smokescreen hit him directly in the face, eliciting a cry of frustration.

Barry gritted his teeth, quickly formulating a plan to halt his rapid decline in the battle. Gauging Alexander's location on the battlefield, he decided to play boldly instead of wisely. "Alex, use another Spark, and give it all you got!" Alex fought his reduced clarity of vision and quickly sparked and crackled with electricity, ready to charge at Prometheus and shock him out of the battle.

"Take him out before he gets too close!" Lucas warned his Pokemon, worried Prometheus would be paralyzed like poor Margaret was. "Finish him off with one more Ember!"

Prometheus charged up yet another small ball of searing hot sparks and embers while the rapidly speeding Alexander glowed brighter with sparks of his own and closed in on the target. Barry and Lucas stayed dead silent and observant, each keenly watching their cards play out before them. Seeing Alexander finally moving in rage, Lucas decided to seize the opportunity: "Now, open fire!" he roared, and Prometheus excitedly discharged his Ember.

Barry, however, bore a ridiculous grin on his face as he called out to Alexander: "DISENGAGE!", and the fleet-footed lynx almost instantly disengaged from its current trajectory and veering hard to the left.

"Oh shit," Lucas, muttered as he watched Prometheus's Ember terrorize some dandelions in the dirt while Alexander bolted **(pun intended)** towards his new target: Margaret. Dawn's eyes widened with shock and confusion as Alexander plowed through the already weakened Margaret, a sizzling _ZAP_ cracking through the air at the contact between the two Pokemon as a translucent smoke hissed around the center of the collision.

Alexander emerged from the smoke, dashed back to Barry's side, giving a quick glance back at the fainted Margaret who lay sprawled on the floor, eyes closed. "Thank you, Margaret. You gave it your all, huh?" Dawn said as she recalled Margaret. "Alright then, Hazel, time to shine!" she cried, releasing the intense little monkey from its Pokeball, and Hazel, as usual, landed on all fours, sparks flitting from its mouth.

Barry chuckled, "Heh, one down and four more to—"

"Prometheus, one last Ember on Julia!" Lucas interrupted. Before either trainer could react, a small fireball landed on Julia's furry coat, knocking her down into the cool snow below where the fire quickly fizzled out. Julia shook as she struggled vigorously to regain her stance, but she slumped into the snow again, this time, her eyes closed. Lucas smirked, looking at Dawn and then Alyssa: "Funny, looks like the "rookie" took you out of the equation pretty quick, huh?" he jokingly taunted.

"Out of the equation? Boy, us farm-girls are a lot tougher than ya' think we are," she said while she recalled her fallen Eevee. "Okay, Cecelia, show 'em what you're made of!" she called out, and a beautiful pony with piercing eyes and a mane of gently flowing and waving flames clopped onto the ground, its gentle and tame look masking the ferocity and intensity of its flaming spirit.

" _Another_ fire type?" Lucas asked with an almost jaded voice. Alyssa just rolled her eyes and began her assault: "Cecilia, finish Prometheus off with a Double Kick!"

"Counter with Ember, Prometheus!" Lucas firmly stated, once again hoping a long-range attack would hit before the close-range hit. While Ponyta reared and neighed before charging Prometheus, Prometheus failed to initiate an Ember, instead just coughing sparks and ash. "What? Hey, what's wrong, buddy?" Lucas said, his voice showing intense concerned for his troubled partner. No response came as Prometheus continued to cough and emit small flames and sparks without any real Ember attack in sight. _Oh shit, his PP for Ember ran out!_ Lucas thought right before two thundering kicks from Cecilia's hooves dug into the lizard's side, knocking him out cold at Lucas's feet. Lucas quickly recalled him, worrying that the chill of the snow would become lethal too quickly for his beloved friend. "You did well, Prometheus," he said, looking at his Pokeball, "I promise you'll have a well-deserved treat tomorrow." He removed Caesar's Pokeball from his belt, throwing it out into the clearing before him: "Caesar, time for a takeover!" he said as the proud penguin landed directly in front of him, wings tucked and eyes narrowed as the small but heavy breathing of the Pokemon created miniature clouds in front of it.

"Bad idea, Lucas, Caesar is weak to Alexander. Alex, take him out with a Spark attack!" Barry thundered from the other side of the clearing. The black lynx beside him took off, humming slightly as current built around it and zipped in small yellow arcs before congealing into a powerful electrical current that concentrated in Alexander's mouth.

Lucas didn't seem to care, however. At the start of Alexander's attack that would surely remove Caesar from the match, his observant eyes captured a detail: Alexander was slightly off course. Though from far away it looked as though Alexander would drive through Prometheus like a knife through butter, Lucas rapidly calculated the slightly deviated angle at which Alex traveled, tracing its path out and beyond the way of Prometheus.

 _The smokescreen worked; even Barry can't tell where his Pokemon is going to go now,_ he thought, _But the question remains, when do I punch him out?_

"Now!" Dawn shouted to Hazel, instantly drawing Lucas's attention as she seemingly answered a question that was asked only in his thoughts. Hazel discharged an Ember attack as Prometheus had done so many times before, plunging into the errant Alexander's side, increasing the deviation of his course dramatically, and driving his now limp body sliding into the wet and snowy dirt by the edge of the clearing: fainted.

"Yes! _That_ was for Margaret!" Dawn smirked playfully while her little Pokemon grinned with the bright satisfaction.

"Richard, knock 'em out, buddy!"

Meanwhile, Lucas quickly assessed the situation before him, now that three Pokemon had been knocked out and replaced. _Wow, a classic fire, water, and grass game. Cecelia is a fire type, so she's weak to Caesar and not effective against any of her opponents, and Richard is effective against Caesar, but he's weak to Hazel, which means Hazel is the strongest Pokemon on the field right now._ "Dawn," he called over the noise of the battle, "you go straight for Richard, and Caesar and I will cover you."

"Got it, Hazel, Ember on Richard, now!" Dawn said, turning with Hazel to face their new target. Hazel quickly began to accumulate small bits of sparking fire in her mouth, ready to cook the opposing grass type to a crisp.

Barry wasn't ready to yield, however: "Richard, counter with Absorb!"

"It's not very effective," Dawn almost smugly said just as Hazel discharged her attack, sending the flaming ball into Richard's side. Richard winced from the pain of the super-effective attack but quickly shook it off, standing with steel-hardened spirit once again. His stance and condition seemed to improve despite the significant hit from the attack while opposite to him on the field, Hazel seemed to waver and keel from a loss of strength. "What the hell?" Dawn said in exasperated disbelief.

"You see, at this rate, I'll lose, but not before Hazel has almost no health left. It's a battle of attrition; are you sure you want to keep at me?" Barry questioned, perhaps with a little more confidence than Dawn would have liked to hear.

"I'm sure, alright. I have a feeling this is going to go down in a way that you wouldn't expect," she shot back. "Hazel, pelt him with another Ember!"

Meanwhile to her left, Lucas quickly knelt next to Caesar, quietly speaking to him: "Alyssa's going to come in to defend Barry, so we need to do our best hold her back while Dawn takes care of Richard, got it? But be a bit careful, Cecelia is may be weak to you but she's the fastest Pokemon here by far." Caesar gave a proud nod as his eyes squinted to narrow onto his new opponent.

Cecelia and Alyssa caught Lucas and Caesar's attention towards them and bore an expression that essentially said, "Are you sure about that?" Alyssa stroked Cecilia's mane earning a small neigh before she gave her orders. "Cecelia, use Double Kick on Caesar, and while you're at it, you're going to have to move as fast as possible to avoid the water-type attacks."

"Caesar, get a Bubble attack ready but don't fire it till I tell you," Lucas said with a low voice. Meanwhile, Cecilia charged with lightning-fast speed, closing the gap between her and Caesar rapidly. Her front hooves began to take on a whitish glow as they became charged with powerful energy in preparation for her incoming attack, but despite her fearsome approach, Caesar stood his ground, unwavering and confident. "Wait for it," Lucas calmly instructed. Cecilia charged on, leaving Caesar no room to dodge her incoming attack. "Wait for it," he said again. Now there were only seconds before Cecilia's powerful hooves met Caesar's head, and the clopping of her hooves seemed to compete with the pace of Lucas's heartbeat: but Lucas still held his steely command, "Wait for it…"

 _What the hell is he up to?_ Alyssa thought as she saw a virtually incapacitated Caesar wait to get run over by a horse, but just as she finished her thought, she was startled by a sudden cry from her own side of the field.

"Richard, use Absorb on Caesar!" Barry excitedly said, knowing what was coming from Lucas.

Prompted by Barry's diversion of attention towards Caesar, Dawn decided to seize her opportunity and fire off an attack of her own: "Hazel, get an Ember on Richard as fast as you can!"

Seeing that Cecilia was too fast and too close for her to escape Caesar's attack, Lucas decided to make the gutsy call: "Now, Caesar!" Almost all at once: Caesar released a glowing blue stream of bubbles that burst once they made contact with the flames and body of a wincing and neighing Cecilia who persevered and followed through with her attack by connecting one of her hooves with Caesar's comparatively little body. Steam hissed from Cecilia while Caesar let out a pained tweet when a bright flash burst from Dawn's part of the field. Hazel had discharged her Ember at Richard, who was affixed in his location, using his Absorb to siphon off health from the already weakened Caesar.

Caesar staggered and fell backward while Lucas clenched his fist tightly seeing his partner stagger into the cold snow. But just on the other side, Richard was knocked over, charred from a direct hit from an Ember attack that flew without obstruction from Hazel. In just a few seconds, Lucas and Barry stood gaping as Caesar and Richard lay in the snow, fainted and out of the battle.

"YES!" Dawn and Alyssa said at once, each turning to face the other, knowing that a battle between them was now inevitable. Cecilia, severely weakened by Caesar's Bubble attack, staggered back to Alyssa, still unwilling to give up on the fight. Hazel was weakened as well but was in well enough condition to match the higher level and experience of Cecilia.

While Dawn and Alyssa both prepared for the showdown to come, Lucas and Barry each had a stupid grin on their face as they both released their final Pokemon.

"Alright, Gawain, finish this one off!" Barry roared as a small but nimble Starly flew into the chilly night air, circling above its trainer.

"Let's have a dogfight," Lucas smirked as his own Starly materialized and zipped around, agile but powerful. Both trainers seemed unable to withhold their excitement. Each possessed the same Pokemon of the same level: the winner would be the better trainer without a shadow of a doubt.

"Gawain, Quick Attack!" Barry blurted with enthusiasm, pointing to Galahad to guide his Pokemon to target.

"Galahad, roll right!" Lucas countered. Galahad quickly obeyed and spiraled to the right, all the while keeping his wings still and dropping his altitude. As he Galahad took a parabolic arc to the right and towards the ground, Gawain tucked his wings and screeched in at a steep angle, making consistent amends to his trajectory to make the cleanest hit possible with his target. A soft squeak could be heard as Gawain slammed into Galahad with whatever force his little body had, throwing the former skidding into the ground below while the latter pulled out of his plummet and took to the sky again. "Get up, Galahad, it's our turn now," Lucas confidently stated, looking Barry and Gawain dead on.

"Charge and use Scratch!" Dawn cried. She knew getting too close to Cecilia could potentially end Hazel with a Double Foot counter, but she decided to take her chances, knowing that Lucas's attack had made her prone to any attack.

"Bold move, Dawn, Cecilia, get 'er back with a Double Foot!" Alyssa sweetly countered, her soft voice distracting a nearby Barry for a second.

As Hazel closed the gap between herself and a waiting Cecilia, Dawn realized that Cecilia's longer legs and greater speed could hit Hazel before the little monkey even had the chance to land a hit, and she decided to pull a card out of her sleeve. "Lucas, I need Galahad too cov—"

"I'm sorry, Dawn. I'm busy," Lucas almost curtly said, eyes glued to the situation in front of him and sticking his palm out to motion her to stop.

Dawn cocked her head back, her eyes wide with confusion, completely flabbergasted. _Did… did he just shut me down? Again?_ she worriedly thought. "But, I need help w-with, you know, the battle!" she said, gesturing to Hazel and Cecilia, who had both halted their attacks and stared confusedly at the trainers who were suddenly less involved in their fight. The two Pokemon returned themselves to their Pokeballs, knowing that the battle would have to be picked up at a later time.

"I'm with him on that one. I'm sorry, but you two are on your own," Barry seconded, much to Alyssa's disapproval.

" _Excuse_ me, gentlemen, but she and I are here to battle too. You ain't gonna ignore us like that!" Alyssa chided, clearly disappointed in the stupid behavior of the boys.

"Galahad, get some altitude: I've got a plan," Lucas said, ignoring Dawn and Alyssa just like that.

Dawn covered her mouth with her hand, aghast and embarrassed. _But we just… we just did the whole thing… under the stars, you gave me your coat,_ Dawn thought, her mind splitting itself into two camps for control over her. _He was just being nice, he doesn't LIKE like you,_ one half of her mind told her. _Yeah, but do you remember what it was like when he pulled you close and wrapped his arms around you? He LIKE likes you_ , the other half argued back. _But what if he's just—_

"Hey there," Alyssa said, placing an arm on Dawn's shoulder, slightly startling her. "Whoa, it's just me," Alyssa smiled at the dejected Dawn, doing her best to lift her diving spirits.

"Hey, Alyssa," Dawn weakly replied, looking at the battle in front of her as Galahad flew at a tight angle of elevation into the sky while Gawain flew in loops below, awaiting his trainer's orders.

"Galahad, DIVE!" Lucas exclaimed excitedly. Galahad pulled out of his climb, stalling for a fraction of a second as he rolled onto his back before nosing over into a steep dive.

"Sorry man, but I saw that coming. Gawain, take an errant course," Barry smirked with his characteristic enthusiasm. Gawain began to cut, turn, stall, and propel again rapidly and repeatedly, making himself an unpredictable and rapidly moving target that posed a severe threat to Galahad: Galahad's dive was so steep that missing Gawain would send him straight into the ground below.

"How could he just _do_ that? I-I really thought he'd come to help me there. I'm his teammate for cryin' out loud!" Dawn complained to her sympathetic companion.

"As nice and polite as they can be at times, these boys can also be real boneheads. At least that's what Ma tells me about Pa," Alyssa reassured Dawn. "Besides, they have their own rivalry, right? Maybe they have their own score they wanna' settle, so I wouldn't take it personally," Alyssa coolly said.

"Shit. Galahad, slow your dive!" Lucas cried, hoping that Galahad could slow down enough to continually adjust his trajectory for Gawain's fast motions. Galahad opened his tucked wings and spiked his drag coefficient, slowing him down while maintaining his dive angle. After making a few adjustments to his course, he lined up perfectly with his target, who was now running low on stamina and moving less harshly. "Perfect, Wing Attack!"

"Dammit, that's a STAB **[same type attack bonus]** attack! Gawain you need to evade it!" Barry cried to no avail as Galahad's wings glowed with a radiant white energy that stiffened Galahad's wings, turning them into appendages that could cause some serious damage. Within a fraction of a second, Galahad collided with Gawain, sending the latter into the ground, and proceeded to pull out of the dive and fly horizontally before turning back towards the downed but active Gawain.

"Alright, buddy. You need to finish this with Quick Attack!" Lucas commanded, and Galahad sped up his approach to Gawain, who struggled to rise from the ground but showed no signs of giving up.

"Gawain, you have to get out of there. He's coming in pretty damn—" Barry began before being cut off by the light _THUD_ of Galahad sticking the final blow. Gawain lay in the clearing, fainted. "That was a great job for your very first battle, buddy. Now get some rest," Barry said, recalling Gawain.

"You too, Galahad, get some rest until we get to the Pokemon Center," Lucas said with glowing satisfaction as he too recalled his feathered Pokemon. The two trainers walked to the midpoint of the clearing, firmly shaking hands.

"I think it's been established I'm the better trainers, huh?" Lucas smirked at Barry.

"I went easy on you, duh."

"Suuuuure. You can think of it like that, but I think the record says 2-0 Lucas."

"Those are the only two wins you'll ever get from me, man."

"We'll see about that, but for tomorrow, we have a Gym Battle, so I'm wishing you luck man, not that you need it."

"Thanks, Roark will be a piece of cake for you, too. And like you said, just be careful with Prometheus and Galahad; they're weak to Rock."

"Uh, fellas, sorry to interrupt ya'll's conversation, but we should go get some supper, don't you think?" Alyssa said, with what could have been a slight tinge of sarcasm in her tone.

"Yeah, we should go get dinner together," Barry agreed.

Lucas nodded. "I think that's a—"

"Um," Dawn softly interrupted, "I think I'd just like to go home. Now."


	12. Chapter 12: Entering Oreburgh

**I'm going to keep my A/N short on this one: thank you to everyone who reviewed that last chapter! I love hearing from you guys almost as much as I like writing this stuff, so you can be assured that I actually do read every review and give some thoughtful consideration to them.**

Chapter 12: Entering Oreburgh

"Home? Now? Don't you want to go get dinner with them?" Lucas questioned, hoping Dawn would change her mind so he could get a burger with Barry and Alyssa.

"No," Dawn firmly replied, her sternness shocking Barry and Lucas but not Alyssa. "I just- I want to home, Lucas."

"Uh…" Lucas slowly said, shooting a glance for help out of the corner of his eye, only receiving a look that said, "We're in uncharted waters…" "Okay," he sighed, "let's go to the Pokemon Center. But… we are getting dinner at the Pokemon Center, right?" Lucas pleaded.

"Yes," Dawn sighed, slightly annoyed that Lucas was missing her point. "Bye, you two," she said, waving to Alyssa and Barry as Lucas bagged his Pokeballs and stood next to her.

"See you tomorrow, then," Alyssa returned, waving back.

"When are you going to be at the gym?" Lucas asked Barry, slinging the bag over his shoulder.

"I was thinking right before lunch?" Barry said.

"Fine by me," Lucas nodded. "G'night, you two," he said, waving as he and Dawn took 203 to the Oreburgh Pokemon Center while Barry and Alyssa headed back to Jubilife to grab some dinner at a pizza parlor.

It was a quiet walk to Oreburgh, Lucas didn't say much, lost in thoughts about his gym battle the next day. He ran all possible combinations of Pokemon and attacks that he had, both offensive and defensive, in order to see if he had the capacity to beat his opponent through mind instead of might. _Defensively and offensively, both Prometheus and Galahad are fighting uphill battles. Caesar is the only one who has a serious advantage in battle, but he can't take on the whole gym by himself_ he thought, pensively tapping his forehead and moving deeper into his schematics. _Should I send in Caesar early to ensure I get a chance to battle the final Pokemon? No, that'll leave me with weaker Pokemon for the hardest stretch of the battle. What if I start with Prometheus and Galahad and finish the last Pokemon off with Caesar? Dammit, that won't work either: I can't lose the match in the first two matchups._ He played with his jacket's zipper, much to Dawn's irritation, as he kept on thinking. _Alright! I've got it! I'll just—_ he started thinking before Dawn interrupted his train of thought by tapping his shoulder.

"Could you please stop that? I feel like my ears are being dragged against concrete," Dawn said with heavy sass, pointing to Lucas' zipper.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I tend to play with things around me when I'm thinking really hard."

"Oh, what were you thinking about?" she asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"The gym battle tomorrow: you kn—"

"Ugh, do you think about anyone or anything else?" Dawn groaned, frustrated that her messages clearly weren't getting to him.

"What do you have against the Gym battles?" Lucas laughed, amused by Dawn's seemingly meaningless exasperation.

"Well, what do you have against me?" she shot back, although with lower tone and volume.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, Dawn. Why on _Earth_ would I have anything against you?" Lucas said, the smile fading from his face and his feelings for Dawn bleeding into his tone.

"I don't know, either, Lucas," she slowly began, "but when we were battling Barry and Alyssa… towards the end you…"

"I…?" Lucas pressed, still unsure of where Dawn was headed.

"You left me dangling over the edge of a cliff when I asked for help," she said, pointing back to where they came from.

"Um…" Lucas said sheepishly, scratching his head while Dawn's eyes widened with the hope that she would finally receive some answers. "I don't recall you and I ever being on a cliff," he confusedly replied.

"Ugh," Dawn said, exasperatedly face-palming. "Lucas, you can be _so_ intelligent yet _so_ … imbecilic sometimes. I don't mean a _literal_ cliff. I meant at the end of that battle. I asked for help, and you just cut me off and left me there. I-I didn't know why… you just left me there, and I felt so terrible, Lucas," she paused as her expression took a more serious turn. "Look at this from my view: what if those Galactic people turn up again? A-and what if you just left—"

"Don't ever think like that," he interjected with startling conviction. "Those thugs learned their lesson, and they won't show up again near you or me if they're smart. But they're stupid, so if when they so much as make me think they're a threat, I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep my promise to Professor Rowan: to keep you safe," he said with vehement passion in his eyes before pausing. "Dawn," he sighed, "I'm sorry for whatever happened back there. I-I never meant to hurt you, but Barry and I: we've been rivals for as long as I can remember. I remember in school we'd pick opposite teams when we were on the playground and on opposite groups in the classroom just so we could have a showdown between the two of us. It became impossible to compete otherwise. I guess… I guess I was just caught in being able to go head-to-head with him again. But Dawn, you're more than 'just a teammate'," he warmly said, his eyes glowing. "You're a friend. I hope you forgive me, but if I do stupid shit like that again, please whack me over the head."

"Like you have to ask," she warmly smiled. "Now let's go get some dinner."

"Yeah, I'm starving," Lucas seconded. It didn't take long for the two to walk into Oreburgh. The city wasn't as bright or lit up as Jubilife, and large portions of the area were without light and looked like small hills of white snow in the absence of sunlight. But, as per national regulation, the Pokemon Center was brightly shining with its welcoming iconic red roof lightly covered in snow. Lucas and Dawn quickly trotted inside from the cold without any hesitation.

Inside, Dawn shook a bit of the powdered snow that collected on her jacket and handed it back to Lucas, "Thanks for letting me borrow it, Lucas. Before the gym battle tomorrow, we can go buy a new one. You wanna help me pick one out?" she coyly asked.

Lucas' expression blanched as he was sucked into an old memory. His mother, much more energetic and vibrant then, slung her handbag over her shoulder as she neared the front door of their old home. "Lucas, honey, we need to go, come on!" she called to the little boy sitting grumpily in the couch.

"I don't wanna go, mom," Lucas hopelessly pleaded. "It's sooooooo boring!"

"We need to buy winter clothes for you or you'll get sick, Lucas. Now come, we need to get going."

"But I won't get sick. I haven't gotten sick in a long while," he responded, trying to sound as confident as possible with his 6-year-old's voice.

"A long while? You mean two weeks ago?" Johana chuckled at her little boy. Lucas pouted slumped further into the couch. "Alright Lucas, how about I get you something when we get there?"

Lucas sprung from his sedentary position with glee: "Ice Cream?"

"Oh for goodness sakes, Lucas. Why buy clothes when you're going to eat ice cream in the snow anyways? How about french-fries, huh?"

"Okay!" Lucas happily nodded, running up to the door, slipping into his little shoes and stepping with his mother into the chilly winter air.

It was a trap. There were no french fries. But there were endless tons of clothes he had to try on. There was no escaping. Every time he would try some clothes on from the cart, somehow his mother would magically appear with more in her arms. Since then, he preferred chalk scraping against the board over department store music.

"Well, do you want to come with me?" Dawn asked again, shaking him out of his memory.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Lucas blurted, a small shiver running up his spine. _"Oh come on, Lucas. She's the one going shopping, not you. Besides, you'll get to tell her how cute she looks in everything she tries on. Just go,"_ one half of him thought. _"IT'S A TRAP!"_ The other half of him screamed in frustration. _"Remember the french-fries."_ "Yeah, definitely, Dawn."

"Really? Aw, you're sweet," She gleefully said, hugging him. "Now let's get some dinner," she smiled, and the two walked over to the canteen.

It didn't take long for the two to chow down their meal after being left exhausted after the intense battle before they slowly made their way over to the front desk where Lucas quickly booked a room for the two of them.

Dawn and Lucas walked into the cozy, heated room, and flopped onto their beds like fish onto a deck, throwing their bags to either corner of the room.

"I could fall asleep like this, but I think I'm gonna change first," Lucas said, groaning as he left the embrace of the bed that was second only to Dawn's.

"Yeah, me too. You mind if I change in the bathroom and you change out here?" she said as she too got up from her bed.

"Not at all," he responded as the two quickly changed into comfy clothes, ready to close the day.

Lucas sat on his bed, reclining and hoping to catch some sleep when Dawn walked up to him.

"Ahem," she said expectantly.

"What?" Lucas replied, not sure what she was looking for.

"You promised, remember?" Dawn said, raising her eyebrows and the corners of her cheerful smile.

"A movie? Now? Can't I go to bed, please?" he pleaded lightly.

Dawn shook her head, "You made a promise, Lucas. Pretty please?"

"A promise is a promise, I guess. How about you pick one out today?" he asked, reaching for his bag at the side of the bed and opening the zipper with all of the CDs.

"Sure!" Dawn happily said, melting Lucas' heart and moving his will to sleep way off into the distance. "Ooo, what's the yellow one?" Dawn inquisitively said, fishing out a yellow CD case with a man in a jet black suit and striped tie surrounded by a cacophonic party in the background underneath a yellow title banner on the front cover. "It's called Wolf of Wa— hey!" she complained as Lucas quickly yanked the case out of her hands. "What was that for?"

"Let's, uh, look for another movie," Lucas said with a warble. _How the hell did I even THINK about putting that in there?_

"You know, you telling me not to watch that movie makes me want to watch it even more. Give it here," she said, stretching across Lucas' body to grab the CD from his arm as simply extended it to put it out of her reach. "Oh come on, why can't we see it now?"

"It, uh… it ain't _that_ kind of movie, but it's _definitely_ not something you'd want to watch now, trust me. We'll get to it before either of us finishes our journey, deal?"

"Deal," she said, shaking his hand before digging into his pack again and fishing out another CD. "This one?" she said, holding it up.

"The Conjuring? Uh, sure, but it's a horror movie, though," Lucas concernedly said, not sure if Dawn would sleep well after a movie like that.

"Oh shut up, I'm a tough girl. I can handle a little 'scare'," she reassured.

"Okay then," Lucas said with a smile, and in a few minutes, he had everything set up.

"Don't you want to watch from your bed?" he asked, confused as to why she'd want to watch a movie without the all that free space.

"Something tells me the movie will better here. Next to you."

Lucas could feel the blood rush to his face. "W-well scoot over, then," he said as the movie began playing. He reached over to get the light switch as the two became immersed in the screen and each other as they warmed up to each other while the falling snow chilled the outside, somehow finding peace during a horror movie.

That peace didn't last for 5 seconds into the movie, though. Every 30 seconds, a jump-scare would cause Dawn to lightly squeal with fright as she tightly gripped Lucas' hand. Lucas simply sat there, reassuringly gripping her hand back. Occasionally, her squeak would be a yelp and she'd frightfully burrow into Lucas, but Lucas would be numb to the same scares as he could only think about the girl next to him.

The movie ended as the hour hand was only a lap away from midnight, and Lucas was nearly asleep sitting where he was. "Well, goodnight, Dawn. I don't think I can stay up for a minute longer," he woozily said as he tipped over and slammed his head into the pillow covers and let out a heavy exhale.

"I'd ask for my story right about now, but I'll accept the one you told me while we were on our way to battle Barry and Alyssa," she giggled. "Goodnight Lucas, and I'm going to be cheering my heart out for you tomorrow, so you better win," she smiled, playfully punching his shoulder, to which he simply stuck hand with a thumbs-up with his face still buried in his pillow. Dawn smiled and quietly walked over to her bed as she slid under the covers, dreamily watching Lucas peacefully sleep away his worry about the next day's work.

Lucas awoke the next morning to the smell of a tasty breakfast wafting in the room and a smiling Dawn standing next to him with a knowing smile on her face. "Good morning, Lucas," she chuckled. "Did the breakfast wake you up?" she smiled at him.

"Wha—how did you know?" he asked, stunned as the blood finally began to fuel his brain.

"I'm the one that brought it here," she said, gesturing to two hot plates of bacon, eggs, French toast, and a glasses of orange juice.

Lucas' eyes widened as though he'd seen a chunk of gold. "Wow. I-I don't know what to say. You didn't have to do this; you know?"

"Oh, shut up. It's not like I got you a new car or something," she humbly downplayed, "Besides, I thought you'd want to have some time to relax before that battle today."

 _Great, now I feel guilty for not treating her before her contest,_ Lucas quietly thought, a bit of guilt seizing him. "Well, I promise to treat you to something better right before your next contest."

"And what might that be?"

"I don't know, but I have time to think," he shyly smiled back.

"Hmm… I'm going to try to guess at it along the way then."

"You most certainly are free to do that, but I may or may not _verbally_ reveal the answer. I'm going to go brush my teeth, now: I'm dying to dig into that breakfast," he said as he devoured the meal with his eyes. Dawn moved out of his way as he got up to head toward the restroom. He emerged several minutes later, fully showered and with his sports apparel on.

He rapidly slid into the seat at the small dining table for two and attacked his food like a savage Pyroar while Dawn, who sat across him, stopped bringing a spoonful of eggs halfway to her mouth and stared at his voracious assault. "What? Aren't you hungry?" he managed to say with cheek-fulls of food.

Dawn continued to stare at him, her mouth wide open in disbelief. "Where are your _manners_?" she said, slapping his wrist.

"Ow, ow, gosh! I was just hungry," Lucas laughed after he swallowed a third of his plate. "You sound just like my mom!" he said before pausing as his eyes dilated with fear.

"What… is something wrong?"

"Oh shit. I completely forgot to even call her after we left," he worriedly said whipping his phone out from his pocket. He looked at the call log and sure enough, "SEVENTEEN missed calls?! She's gonna' skin me alive!" he yelped as he worked his food down at twice the rate, much to Dawn's disapproval. The glass of orange juice vanished in mere seconds and Lucas had bolted out of his seat and onto his bed as he held the phone to his ear. The phone rang while he nervously waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" a calm voice on the other line said.

"H-hey, mom. It's m-me… Lucas. Sorry I missed all of your calls…"

"Lucas? Ohhhh, you mean my son? Yeah, I tried calling him several times over the past few days. Lord knows where he's at because HE NEVER RESPONDS!" Johana threw back, her tone hot with sarcasm. "Do you have any idea how _anxious_ a mother gets when her only child, her dear, dear boy, doesn't respond to any of her calls for FIVE days?"

"I'm really so—"

"You promised to call me _every_ day! I was going to call the _cops_ if you didn't call back today! Why didn't you ever call back, Lucas? What happened to you" she said with a light sniffle.

Lucas took a nervous inhale before he spoke: "I forgot. I mean it. And it's not because I don't care or something… I just got, you know, a bit carried away. With all the battling, the contests, and…" he trailed, looking across the room to a smiling girl.

"Dawn?" his mother filled in.

"Yeah."

"Lucas, I'm really happy that you're taking a liking to training, and Dawn, but just… remember from time to time that there's an old woman here in Twinleaf that worries about you all day and that sometimes a simple 'love you, mom' is all it takes to make her happy."

"I love you, mom," Lucas replied, exhaling a breath of relaxation.

"I'm not letting you off _that_ easy, young man. Now tell me, did you get the present I sent you?"

"The Charmander? Yeah. I named him Prometheus, and he's a wonderful partner in battle. I can't thank you enough for letting me have him, mom."

"It's nothing, sweetie. Your father would have wanted you to have it. So, you mind telling me what you've done for the past several days?"

"Sure…" Lucas said as he recalled his run-in with the four grunts in Jubilife. _I can't tell her that, not in her condition._ He began explaining to her the contest, particularly expressing how wonderful Dawn was while giving a couple quick glances across the room to make sure she was hearing him laud her, and how he and Barry ran into Alyssa prior before closing with his plans to go to the first Gym in Oreburgh.

"When are you planning on asking her out?" Johana suddenly stated, steering the topic into an uncomfortable place for Lucas.

"Well, I-I… I, uh, really like—"

"Lucas, I know you better than you know yourself, and it certainly doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell that you like her. And as a lady, I can tell you this: she likes you too." Lucas' cheeks reddened as he held a blank expression while Johana continued. "She's a sweet girl, too. What're you waiting for? The stars to align?" Lucas remained dead silent as his cheeks flushed harder. "You're just like your father in that sense: good with absolutely _everything_ except women. There, you two are adorable idiots. Let me guess, you also did some dumb things around her that made you look like an idiot around her, right?" Johana confidently posited.

"Y-yeah," Lucas shyly said, recalling how he'd left Dawn to fend for her self in the battle the previous night. "Something like that."

Johana chuckled amusedly, "Yep, _just_ like your father. But the one smart thing your father did was to ask me out before he did any more stupid things, and I can't thank him enough for making that choice," Johana pleasantly smiled on the other side of the line, looking at the ring on her finger. "seeing how you turned out to be photocopies, I'd wager that you're going to follow suit."

"Um… yes. Th-thanks for the advice, mom. I, uh, think I'll be going now. I'll call you later tonight," he shyly said, her words still trying to embed themselves in his head. "I promise," he then quickly added.

"See you later, sweetheart," Johana sweetly said.

"Bye mom, love you," Lucas replied before slowly sliding his cellphone back into his pocket as the line cut. "Well, we should go get you a sweater," Lucas promptly said to Dawn, hoping to get his mind to move onto another subject.

"Yeah, let me get my bag," Dawn agreed. She was curious about what Mrs. Drake said that could have possibly said that sent Lucas on that roller coaster of emotions but decided against snooping into his private affairs. "Alright, Lucas," she said slinging her bag over her shoulder, "Let's go."

It was a short and pleasant walk to the nearby wholesale store, which was full of customers since the weekend had arrived and everybody wanted to restock on precious winter supplies during the especially cold year. "Wow, it's been a really long time since I've been to a store like this," Dawn said, taking in the massive expanse of the giant warehouse, the nearby gas station, and the little restraint that were all operated by the same company. "Geez, look how cheap the gas prices are here!" she exclaimed, pointing to a sign that displayed the gas prices for that day. "How do you get it for that cheap?"

"Well, Oreburgh is a coal and gas mining district," he noted, gesturing to the large flocks of blackened mining and drilling machinery alongside massive cranes and refining facilities that were peppered across dark the hillsides. The beeping of reversing vehicles and the slow groan and grind of machinery toiling over coal chunks and flows of oil filled the air with the scent of musty diesel and dust. "They have a lot of natural resources here that help keep Sinnoh running for essentially no cost: if you're willing to replace your lungs when you're 45, that is. There is little to no transportation cost for the fuel here, and the League doesn't levy any taxes on domestic transactions on fuel, so everybody buys and sells fuel in large quantity for low prices. We also export a lot of our fuel to—"

"Alright, Mr. Textbook. It was just one question," Dawn interrupted laughing. "Come on, let's go get a jacket: it's freezing out here," she said as her breath began to freeze in the air before her. Lucas nodded in agreement, and the two dashed into the warm, heated embrace of the store interior when Dawn exhaled in relief.

"The jacket and sweaters are over there," he said, motioning past massive TVs, an array of various food products, and several rows of books.

"How can you even see them from here?"

"It's a sacred tradition for every father to spend time with his son in this store on weekends. I know this place inside and out, where every product from every brand is, and when they restock the items."

"Sacred tradition?"

"Well, not literally," Lucas laughed as they neared the sweaters, "but what I mean was that it was ridiculous fun to come here on the weekends with your dad, lift all of the heavy milk cartons," he said as he gestured to a boy helping his father put milk into a cart, "ride in the cart," this time gesturing to two children riding in the cart while their father pushed it along, "and taste all of the free food samples here."

"How about shopping at regular old department stores with your mum?" Dawn asked.

"Terrible experience. 0/10 would not recommend," Lucas blandly said, the cheer temporarily fading from his face.

"That's a _stark_ contrast, but shopping with your mother is fun! At least from what I remember," Dawn countered as she sifted through the thick fleece-lined coats with a polyester layer that served to shield from both the wetness and the cold.

"I-it's a long story. But this much you should know: where there is no food, I won't be there."

"Which one of these do you think is better?" Dawn sweetly asked as she held up light blue and light reddish-pink variants of a winter jacket, securing Lucas' fully attention.

"You'll look good in both, but I think pink is more your color," he smiled, "at least based on the rest of your outfits," he quickly added.

"It's like you can read my mind," she sweetly smiled as she brushed past his side.

"Wait, you already made a choice?"

"Mhm."

"But you asked me anyways…?"

"Mhm."

"That doesn't make any sense. What if I said the light blue one was better?" he asked, turning around to see her slowly walking towards the checkout counter.

"It only has to make sense to me," she smiled, her light blush concealed while Lucas quickly trotted to catch up to her.

Lucas abruptly stopped, however, when he saw a much too familiar piece of apparel in the many racks and stalls catch his eye. A piece of high-end polyester clothing in white and gray that played with the ambient light that hit it, bearing a gold "G" in the center, caught his attention. "Dawn, you've got to see this," he said with a foreboding tone. An otherwise cheerful Dawn immediately turned back towards him, confused by his sudden seriousness.

"What are you looking at— oh. H-how did that get here?"

"I don't know. I honestly don't know, but I can think of two possible truths right now. The fact that they're selling high-end _sports clothes_ of all items here means that Galactic Inc. located in Veilstone is expanding operations from tech to other industries. They recently acquired the Pokemart chain, so it would match their trajectory. But they're rapidly growing their company: too rapidly, and the fact that they're expanding their research and development rapidly would give them a cover for more illicit activities. At the same time, I'm not sure how right that possibility is: the criminals we saw, they called themselves Team Galactic, but I'm not exactly sure how and if they're linked to the company in Veilstone."

"What? They have to be. They were all dressed the same, talked the same, and they were definitely an organized team. One of the grunts said that they had a boss, too, so there's a chain of command. If they have a working infrastructure, where better to point a finger than a business which derives its success from its amazing infrastructure and ridiculously expedited production?"

"But if such a large company were to engage in illegal activities, why would they establish a terrorist or gang group? What are they even looking for that makes such a team useful? Why would they even let these grunts wear their logo, too? That would just reduce their brand value when the public associates them with these thugs. I mean, Galactic is a _massive_ company, the biggest in the whole world. It's worth more than some entire regions. Setting up a link with a criminal team or branch would destroy them."

"Well, it's not like they aren't a suspicious corporation as it is. Did you see the news?"

"Yeah, they fired most of their executive officers, didn't they?"

"Exactly, Lucas, and they didn't even replace any of them with temporaries or replacements. They left the vacancies as is."

"But the company is still running like nothing happened. Somebody has to be in charge, then."

"But we don't know who that is, so that means they don't want us to know who that is."

"I have a _bad_ feeling about this, Dawn."

"I do too. I-if we're right about this link, based on whatever shreds of evidence we have, then every time we run into those guys it's not just a bunch of criminals: it's the weight of a multi-national corporation waiting to crush a couple of kids," Dawn said, shivering.

Lucas paused for a moment staring into the gold "G" at the center of the apparel. "Do you think they're going to come after us, especially after we slammed into their operations in Jubilife?" Dawn fearfully asked.

"We're going to find out sooner or later," he grimly returned. "But for now, nothing happened, and we're just speculating," he said, slightly brightening his tone, "So let's get to that gym as soon as we can."

"You're right. Let's go," Dawn said, trying to match Lucas' slight optimism as they walked to over to pay for her jacket. The two left the store a few minutes later and were making their way through the cacophony-filled city of the town before they made their way over to a large, brown building with the universally recognized Pokemon Gym symbol.

It was much larger than many of the houses in the area and seemed to have been maintained better, but still blended in with the blackened industrial environment around it. "Well, here we are," Lucas began, "You want to come inside and watch?" he shyly asked.

"Of course, you thought I'd just leave you there after all you've done for me before and during the contest? I'm going to be cheering my heart out: just like you did for me," she smiled, an ever so _slight_ blush tinting her cheeks.

"Thank you, Dawn. Let's hope this goes well," he said as he opened the door to the gym for her.

 _THUD!_ The door slammed open the second Lucas made contact with its handle, making him jump back, totally startled. Barry ran out of the gym with enough speed to break records, while Alyssa politely strolled out behind him, her hands clasped and a pleasant smile on her face. "That. Was. Spectacular!" Barry yelled with excitement, "You should have seen me, man. I cleared the whole gym in like 5 minutes!"

"Two minutes, actually," Alyssa corrected, a happy smile, the kind of smile Dawn had when she saw Lucas, on her face.

"Even better! Hey, Lucas, you think you can beat my time?" Barry playfully challenged.

"I don't know, but I'll try," he cautiously said, knowing that his Pokemon's typings may make winning such a bet near impossible. "Congratulations, buddy," he said, reaching his hand out for a handshake while Alyssa and Dawn quietly giggled and chatted. "Where are you off to now?"

"Me? Well, one of Alyssa's old friends from Johto lives here since her father operates one of these coal mines, so Alyssa wanted to pay her a visit and asked me to tag along. Are you going to battle Roark now?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, Roark's not here right now. He went to the mines down yonder," Alyssa said, joining the conversation and pointing to an underground entrance surrounded by conveyor belts and transportation contraptions moving black lumps of coal and mining debris out from the excavation site.

"The mine? But didn't you just finish your battle with him, Barry?"

"Well yeah, but he left right after we finished because he said he had some urgent business to take care of."

"Well, shit. I'll have to wait till tomorrow to battle him, then?"

"And that's where you're wrong, Lucas. Because I am a _noble_ and _virtuous_ friend, I told him that you'd be here not long after I finished my battle, and he told me that you could just meet him down at the mines and that he'd come back to accept your challenge," Barry said with a jokingly self-admiring look on his face.

"Thank you, Barry. We'll go down and see if we can talk to him, then. I hope you and Alyssa have a good time saying hello to that friend of hers."

"We will," Barry responded, "and in case you're wondering, we'll be in Jubilife again after we're done meeting her friend," he finished as he waved and turned around to talk to Alyssa who pulled out a small pocket map of all of the cities and navigable routes of Sinnoh.

Lucas and Dawn waved back and quickly trotted down to the mine entrance. Large blue steel scaffolding coated in a thin veneer of coal dust loomed above and beside them as little Machops loaded and inspected little lumps of coal that came from the interior of the mine. Smokestacks and generators pumped out large quantities of steam and smoke into the air above them while the sound of drilling and the smashing of rock could be heard from the other side of the mine as they passed a mound of excavated rock and scrap materials that was collecting a large coating of coal dust and tar atop itself.

"It must be hard work doing this all day, huh?" Dawn asked in awe, taking in the industrial sights around her.

"I'm sure it is. They have to be very careful with everything they do, and almost everything they touch can crush or kill them, but that's why some of these jobs pay so much, especially because they're involved with the energy sector," he almost automatically replied. The two slowly entered the entrance to the mines as light from small overhead lamps in the shaft lit the way for them.

As they carefully trudged across the dust and gravel-laden path of the mineshaft, the loose components of the path crunching like black snow beneath their boots, they soon neared a set of stairs that led to a second gate. They very slowly progressed through the gate only to find one more, narrower mineshaft that transported them into a chamber with a massive specimen of rock or coal that was resting in the center, surrounded by several toddler-sized pieces of rock formations and arrangements that formed a neat little line around the edges of a path that zigzagged to the center.

Miners lined the edge of the chamber, excavating rock and collecting copious notes on the various specimens of rock and coal that seemed to protrude from the walls. One peculiar scientist sat on the ground, playing catch with a worker Machop, while another didn't seem to mind that he was eating a sandwich with grimy coal-hands. Dawn quickly turned away as though she had seen nothing repulsing.

A few short steps later, they reached the end of the tunnel, when Lucas recognized the Gym Leader, a man in bright red hair and miner's outfit covered by a grey jacket watching a Geodude hitting furiously against the side of the rock, shaking off some material and fine dust that the Gym Leader put in a small plastic pouch with a somewhat disappointed look on his face.

"Er… excuse me," Lucas called out, getting the man's attention. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm—"

"Looking for Roark? That's me, and you must be Lucas and Dawn," he said in a kind tone as he recalled his Geodude and stood up from the floor. "I've been expecting you. I take it this is your first gym battle, Lucas?"

"Yeah, it is," Lucas weakly said, nerves taking over him for the first time in years.

"Well, don't worry," he said, noticing at Lucas' slightly shaking hand I'm not going to throw a Landorous at you, but I will test your basic skills in battle and your style and strategy. If you'd like, I can lead you back to the gym with a shortcut I know."

"That'd be wonderful, thank you," Dawn gratefully said. Roark led them through a small passageway in the side of the chamber that slanted at a 45 degree-angle upward and had only a few lamps intermittently spaced out on its steep incline.

"Watch your step," Roark warned as he began to began to make the climb while Dawn and Lucas carefully followed right behind him. Dawn silently grabbed Lucas' hand for support as she carefully placed her footing on the loose gravel that covered the stairs leading out. Lucas grabbed back reassuringly while the low light hid his reddened cheeks.

"Mr. Roark," Lucas began, interrupting the silence, "If you don't mind me asking, I don't remember the mine being so large when I came here for a school field trip years ago, so when was it expanded?"

"Well, just recently actually."

"Really?"

"Yeah, not more than a few months ago, the section of the mine we're in right now just finished developing with some funding from a third party after the League decided to slow down on the coal subsidies. We hesitated to give such large equity to a private company since the mine has been publicly operated for a long time, but the league and townsfolk approved the shift, so energy will be a bit costlier but we'll be pumping oil and grinding coal at a breakneck pace."

"Third party? Who's investing in these mines?" Dawn curiously asked, simply hoping to know more about businesses and life in Sinnoh.

"Good question. Have you heard of Galactic Inc.?"

"G-galactic? Like the one from Veilstone?" Dawn asked a slight gulp slipping down her throat as she held Lucas' hand even tighter. Lucas simply held her hand in his as he suddenly turned all of his attention to Roark's words.

"Yeah, them. We were a little skeptical at first since such a large tech company was moving into the energy sector, but we couldn't exactly pin a nefarious reason on them and their financials were all in order, so we let 'em get in on the venture."

"Did they tell you why they were so interested in expanding the mine?"

"They said that they wanted to expedite the rate at which energy was extracted so that they could 'their part' to help Sinnoh's economy and make us a power on the world stage, but they also said that Galactic would be doing some energy-intensive and high-end 'Pokemon product research and development operations' that would put a strain on both their financial capital and the region's energy capital, so they invested here to solve both problems at once," he explained carefully. "But tell me, why are you guys so curious about these mines?" he finished, laughing.

"Well," Lucas began, "we were att—"

"Attending an information session hosted by Galactic Inc., and they told us that they were planning to expand their entire company in the coming year," Dawn quickly lied, not trusting of Roark enough to reveal what had happened to them at Jubilife.

"Interesting," Roark said, a kind of fatherly sturdiness in his voice.

There was a short silence before Dawn shyly pressed a question to Roark. "Mr. Roark… do you trust Galactic?"

Roark took a deep breath in before speaking: "I used to. When they came in here, they told us they were extracting coal to make our city and region better alongside their company. But we recently got reports of several weak and dead psychic Pokemon on the construction sites ever since they came here."

"Th-that's horrible!" Dawn gasped, her hand over her mouth.

"No Galactic employees have been reported near the scenes of these incidents, so there isn't much to prove they did this at all, but that giant mound of coal you saw back there in that chamber: it isn't coal."

"Not coal? What do you mean?" Lucas asked, puzzled.

"It's some kind of material I don't understand. I was actually just there to investigate it when a miner's Gallade recently and suddenly had a near-lethal collapse while breaking it. I finished my test just when you guys arrived, and when Geodude broke that rock, or whatever it was, it didn't break like coal should and I think that material may be irradiating the psychic Pokemon," he grimly said. "Now I'm not saying Galactic is bad or anything, because again, there's no substantial proof pointing against them or that the material is hurting psychic Pokemon, but when Galactic carved that piece of, _whatever_ that material was, from the walls of the chamber last week, they told us that it was just a large, clumped coal deposit that was harmless and they would transport it away to their HQ for further use. If I see any more suspicious activity, I suppose I'm going to have to ask the League permission for a formal investigation of Galactic. I'm sorry, I don't want to bug you guys with this boring information. You two teenagers probably don't like dipping your fingers in all this jargon-y nonsense. Tell me, Dawn, do you and your boyfriend here ever talk much about economics or politics?" Roark laughed.

"We're… we're, uh, just friends," Dawn very shyly said, her voice rising nearly an octave as she quickly let go of Lucas' hand and put hers in her jacket's pockets, looking down at the gravel. _I hope Lucas doesn't get the wrong message. I just want to tell him, tell him how I really feel, in private, somewhere it's just us._ Dawn hoped.

 _Ah, friend-zone. I remember you._ Lucas dreadfully thought to himself as he carefully maintained his casual expression while his insides seemed to tear themselves apart with great pain and ferocity. _I let this happen to me. I should have never abandoned her in that battle, and I hurt her, poor Dawn. I'm such a fucking idiot. I was close. I could FEEL it: I was SO close. She gave me a chance, but I blew it all up. Again._ He mentally beat himself until Roark spoke again.

"Well, looking at the way that you two were holding hands, I just assumed that you were more than just ordinary friends, my apologies for any inconvenience I may have caused," Roark said with a hint of regret in his voice for poking the wasp nest.

A few minutes later, an opening in the tunnel was in sight and more light flooded into the dark corridor as it led up into a small room with a large red metal door. Roark waited inside the room for Lucas and Dawn to follow him out of the tunnel before he opened the door. "In here, please," he said, motioning them inside. Lucas carefully walked inside as Dawn held closely behind him, the bright white ceiling lights suddenly attacking his retina. He squinted as the gym came into focus around him. Atop several stone platforms and steps was a large tournament-size battling arena. "You may have a seat there, Dawn," Roark said as he motioned to several rows of elevated obsidian bleachers that were lined against the edge of the stone walls of the gym.

Dawn nodded and quickly hugged a distraught Lucas, wished him luck, and took her seat while Lucas and Roark made the climb to the arena. Lucas took the right side while Roark took the left. Lucas' heart began to roar and run like the engine of a muscle car while Roark opened a compartment in the wall of the arena with his handprint, opening a drawer of many Pokeballs. He selected three, turned to Lucas with a competitive smile on his face: "Before we begin, you know the rules, right?"

"Yeah, I know 'em," Lucas said, running through the rules in his head once again to be sure.

"Alright, then! Harris, you're up first!" Roark said, tossing a Pokeball high into the air.

"Prometheus, light 'em up, buddy!" Lucas called, throwing his own Pokeball into the air as both opened and released bright flashes of light that materialized into Pokemon in the arena. Lucas' breathing became heavy and his expression serious: this wasn't just a rival battle with Barry and the raging fire in his eyes said the same.

 **And there's the cliffhanger: definitely not the last time I'm going to use it. I know I was supposed to have a gym battle in this chapter itself, but it's already over 7k words, and the battle itself will be about 4-5k words, so I didn't want to stretch this too far and too long. Thank you guys for all of your reviews, cheerio!**


	13. Chapter 13: Rocky Beginnings

**Finally, at long last, the gym battle! Thank you for everyone who has read this story so far and for waiting this long (almost 6 months) for a gym battle!**

Chapter 13: Rocky Beginnings

A screen on the wall of the arena, similar to the one on the contest stages, turned on and both Lucas and Roark's faces were shown next to their active Pokemon's face and healthbar.

"A fire type? Do you know about type advantages?" Roark asked as if he were an interviewer reading the resume of a job applicant.

"I know about them, but sometimes you have to make the best of a bad hand, right?" Lucas confidently replied, hoping that he and his partners could weather his opponent down instead of outright attacking them due to their ineffective attacks.

"You're right about that. Alright, Harris, open this up with Rock Throw!" Roark thundered as the Geodude raised its arms and lowered its eyebrow, creating several large rocks that could each defeat Prometheus by themselves. _GEODUDE!_ The Pokemon roared as it hurled the boulders in a massive arc that would bring plenty of force down on anything unfortunate enough to get under them.

"Get outta there, and keep running!" Lucas ordered. _I need to impede Harris or he'll take Prometheus out with his next shot, and I don't want to use Caesar just yet._ Prometheus simply nodded and began running around the arena as fast as its little legs could carry it. Rocks began to fall seconds later and left noticeable marks and scratches on a granite arena while Prometheus's would be tossed an inch in the air every time a boulder pummeled the floor next to him.

"Again!" Roark told his partner, while the poor Charmander had seemed to have been running low on breath, heavily panting. Harris congealed yet another set of massive rocks and began to hurl them once again into the sky, having them fall down like bombs and missiles on everything that wasn't on his side of the arena.

It was now even more difficult for Prometheus to keep running. Not only were the rocks jarring and shaking the arena, making stable footing for a small Pokemon all but impossible, but Harris threw many small rocks instead of a few large ones with this attack, modifying his approach to deal with the weak type. Though each rock did less damage, Prometheus's weakness made them more than enough for a dangerous attack.

"Prometheus, just a little longer, keep running buddy!" Lucas said with fright.

"You're going to tire him out before anything actually happens, Lucas," Roark said with the tone of a mentor and a competitor at the same time. The rocks kept pelting the floor, and it was clear that Prometheus wouldn't be able to hold his ground for much longer: he had to give in at some point.

A shard of a broken rock managed to fling itself across the arena, lodging itself in-between Prometheus' hurried footsteps just enough to make him stumble. But in that momentary time of slowness, Prometheus felt the weight of a rock slam into his back, throwing his balance and making him skid onto his side. Dawn cringed on the bleachers while Lucas grit his teeth and tightened his fist, looking at the screen to see Prometheus with only a quarter of his health left.

"I don't know what plan you came in with, but it didn't work, yet. You have a weakened Pokemon fighting an opponent who is stronger against it. You need to do more than just blast your way through this one, Lucas. There are other ways to extract results," Roark once again advised. "Harris, use one more Rock Throw!"

"Nuh uh: it's my turn. Prometheus, discharge a Smokescreen before those rocks get anywhere near you!" Lucas called as he nearly sprung forward with excitement. Having more experience performing the attack, it took only a fraction of a second for the smaller, more agile, Prometheus to create a noxious black cloud of acrid smoke and ember that began to boil and froth in his mouth before he fired it dead at the eyes of Harris.

"Harris, protect yourself with Defense Curl!" Roark countered. Harris rolled himself into a condensed ball of sentient rock by pulling his arms into his chest and creating a barrier that kept his vulnerable eyes and mouth protected from the irritating and asphyxiating attack headed right towards him. The tightly wound Geodude could make himself invulnerable, however. Instantly, the smoke and hot particles seeped through the tough curl and into the Pokemon's eyes _. GEODUDE!_ It roared as it keeled backward and rubbed its massive face vigorously with its hands.

"Great hit, buddy. Now get him with Scratch!" Lucas quickly followed up. "And keep hitting him: he'll miss all of his counters!"

"Clever move, kid, but Harris is a Rock-type. He knows how to weather a fight. Harris, Defense Curl, again!" Harris balled himself up once again, using his hard, rocky appendages to shield himself from Prometheus' now white, glowing claws. As he began to charge towards his target, Prometheus' tail flickered harder, sparks and embers flying away from it as though it were a small wildfire.

"Alright, Prometheus," Lucas began, "just keep running and whoa—" he was cut off by his own surprise as instead of simply Scratching his opponent on the underside, Prometheus leaped fully off of the ground on landed on Harris' side, vigorously using his claws on his feet and hands to stay attached.

Despite the painful and repeated scratching, Harris maintained his defensive position and simply tried to shake his assailant off by rapidly moving back and forth, hoping to see if Prometheus would miss a scratch and slip off to be hit by a final knock out Rock Throw. Still, Prometheus, his bright white claws still slicing into the thick defenses of the Geodude as small splinters and shards of rock began to be flung off. Lucas watched as the scoreboard showed a slowly but steadily decreasing healthbar for Harris, now reaching the halfway point. _Still not fast enough,_ Lucas thought. _I need to double the rate, or he'll just outlast me because of defenses!_

"Prometheus, use your tail to keep an Ember shooting at him from underneath!" Lucas yelled. Prometheus instantly tucked in his tail, which he had been using as a counterweight until then to hang on to Harris, under Harris' underbelly, the roaring flame at its tip shooting embers and sparks into the unprotected undersides of the sentient rock.

"Argh, lean in to use Tackle and push him into the ground, Harris," Roark boldly said, and Harris immediately responded. He tilted to the side on which Prometheus held on, angling him towards the ground, and began to push downwards rapidly. Prometheus, unable to let go of Harris, rapidly plummeted as the Rock Pokemon throttled to the floor, about to sandwich the fire-lizard between himself and the stone floor.

Lucas only had time to open his mouth before a loud smack echoed across the arena and gym. Prometheus barely crawled out from the small dust cloud on all fours, struggling to stay up, while Harris was too weak to levitate and used his hands as bipedal legs, much to the horror of Lucas' eyes and imagination. "What the hell?" he spat out in revulsion. "They can DO that?"

"Yes. They can," Roark laughed. "I actually taught him to that myself. Now he'll last an extra minute in battle. Just the extra minute I need to defeat a novice trainer!"

 _Harris can't use Rock Throw because his arms are… doing that thing, and Prometheus can't run because he's too weak,_ Lucas as took a quick glance at the board to see that both were within range of a final blow to knock them out of the battle. "Let's finish with one more Ember, Prometheus!"

"Harris, Tackle him!" Harris began running like the material of nightmares while Prometheus fired its favorite move. Harris had gained considerable speed and was only a meter away from his target when the fireball from Prometheus collided with his already weak eyes and seared them with a powerful spark. Harris immediately lost control of his trajectory and slipped, careening and rolling over the smooth granite floor like a ball of rock right into poor Prometheus. Both trainers looked at the scoreboard to see that no health had remained for either Pokemon: remarkably, it was a tie. _Alright! If I keep this up, I won't have to use Caesar until the end. I have a strong chance of winning this!_ The two recalled their Pokemon silently, eyes still locked in combat as though they could simply crush the other by looking at them.

"Owen, you're up next!" Roark called out as he sent out a gray, snake-like Pokemon that rose to nearly half the height of the gym's ceiling as the rocks that composed its segments coiled up to poise its body to strike.

 _An Onix? I can handle that._ "Galahad, take to the skies, buddy." Galahad flew in wider and higher circles while the rock-snake beneath whacked its tail against the granite surface, tossing up the debris and dust from Harris' previously missed attacks and Rock Throws a few inches into the air. "Galahad, Double Team!" Lucas boldly called out, hoping to use a new move his Pokedex had revealed to him that morning. The little Starly began to phase into multiple circling copies of itself, many of them slightly translucent and less opaque but otherwise perfect replicas. They began to all fly in different directions, careful not to hit each other and creating a rapid gray swarm of talon, feather, and beak in the air above the enraged Onix.

"Would you look at that; you've changed your strategy to defense again. No use. Owen, take 'em all out, now!" Though direct order was given, Owen seemed to know exactly what his trainer wanted and charged a pile of glowing rocks in his mouth, ready to throw them into a spray of projectiles at the flying decoys. Only a second later, bullet sprays of rocks and pebbles flew into the air, slashing through the decoys and vaporizing them into clouds of dissipating energy. By the time the attack had finished, only a quarter of the clones had remained airborne, Galahad stood out more pronouncedly among them. Still, the dozen or so clones around seemed to be enough in number to occasionally provide cover from the eyes and attacks of his opponent.

"Quick Attack!" Lucas quickly ordered, and Galahad burst out of his clone-cover into a steep but direct dive towards Owen. His lightning speed and imperceptible attack from the sky created a gray and orange streak across the air as he slammed into the side of Owen's large head, knocking the snake off balance and sending it keeling over and tilted into the ground once again with a reverberating _THUD_. Galahad quickly circled back to Lucas and perched itself on his shoulder, happily cooing and rubbing its head against his neck while the healthbar for Owen dropped to 7/8ths of its total capacity.

"Owen, let's fire off one more Rock Throw and finish this whole thing!" Roark thundered as he raised a balled fist in the air. Owen once again charged a massive amount of rock and debris in his mouth as he concentrated them into a stream of missiles at his opponent: Galahad. Galahad instantly dashed from his perch as chunks of hand-sized rocks whizzed and hissed past the boy's shoulder where Galahad rested only seconds ago. The projectiles continued to form and fire from Owen's mouth and towards Galahad as the bird weaved and pitted in the air, hoping to temporarily fix its attention to one of its clones.

But as he began to flutter more desperately and erratically, all the while rocks getting closer to his line of flight, Lucas called out to him. "Come back to me, buddy." Roark raised his eyebrow at the questionable order while Galahad obeyed without a second guess, instantly moving back to Lucas while the pelleting of massive rock-projectiles continued to fly around him in all directions, now converging on Lucas's position. Lucas intrepidly stood his ground while Galahad and the projectiles behind him began to near, much to an on-looking Dawn's discomfort.

"Pull up and dive on Owen!" Lucas once again stated with a certain ferocity in his tone. Roark's coaching and guiding countenance faded as he himself began to focus on the battle and keeping his own Pokemon able to fight in the confusing battle. Roark stood, puzzled by Galahad and Lucas's sudden changes in maneuvering and trajectory, and watched as Galahad looped back on his flight path, flying vertically into the sky before taking a 30-degree dive angle onto his prey below. If the attack hit the mark, Owen would not be able to handle it.

"Owen, maintain your Rock Throw!" Roark countered as Owen once again charged and discharged a powerful Rock Attack that rained massive pieces of debris and destruction from the sky in nearly all directions. But little Galahad was too small for most of these shots to make any significant difference as they collided with each other in mid-air or crashed away into granite floor below before they actually hit him. Galahad dipped and weaved continually until he was only a half a dozen yards from Owen's head while the rock-storm around him began to intensify. A rock clipped his left wing, inducing tremendous pain in Galahad but not nearly enough for him to disengage his course.

As a rock flew from Owen, making a straight line that would intersect Galahad's flight, Lucas spoke once again: "Snatch it and throw it back!" Roark watched with a confused expression as Lucas had an anxious look on his face, the look of a man who played a risky gamble and is about to watch the results play out. Galahad suddenly opened his wings, which had until then been tucked in for the dive, and extended his tucked talons outwards to grab the incoming rock. Though he was a small bird with an adorably round and soft face, when his wings were outstretched and his talons opened and extended to grab prey, Lucas saw a glimpse of the powerful aerial raptor that his little partner would one day become.

The rock flew straight into Galahad's claws which gripped shut with crushing strength, carrying the rock with it in flight. He tucked his wings back in as he continued a dive once again, closing the few yards in between him and his target in a matter of seconds.

"Hit him with your tail, Owen," Roark said after a careful analysis of the situation. Owen raised his massive, stony tail into the air and swung it back before thrusting it luck a whip into Galahad's direction. On the other hand, Galahad had reached his target and released unprecedented damage onto Owen. He somersaulted, raising his talons with the large rock in their grip into his loop, opening his wings, and smashing the stone over Owen's head in a swift down-stroke, all before flapping his wings open again and speeding out of the way. The direct hit from such close quarters reduced much of Owen's health, but as Galahad was making his rapid exit from Owen's area of the battlefield, Owen's tail rose from underneath him, collided with him, and hurled him into the wall beside the arena.

The super-effective attack of rock did the job: Galahad had fainted before he even hit the solid granite floor, skidding smoothly to a still. As his health-bar zeroed and a red "X" appeared across his picture on the screen, Lucas exhaled in disbelief, but there was no hint of disappointment or sluggishness in his expression. _I… I fell behind. I'm sorry, Galahad_ , he thought. He silently recalled the fallen Galahad and pulled out his last Pokeball before looking up at an anxious and observant Dawn bearing a sweet smile on her face. _I'm definitely not going to lose, not while she's watching me._ His brows furrowed, his eyes locking on with competitive anger, as he silently let out Caesar, who plopped onto his feet as usual with a ready and fierce look than usual in his beady eyes.

Roark proceeded with his order, "Owen, use—"

"Bubble," Lucas curtly interrupted, and Caesar fired a snaky beam of transparent but dense bubbles of water at the Rock Type.

"Dodge it with Dig!" Roark countered, but it was too late. Owen had simply begun burrowing with his head when the flurry of bubbles burst on his thick outlines, soaking them with water as the fluid moved through the porous openings and crevices. Owen shuddered and struggled before going limp and slumping into the floor.

"Well played, Lucas, but I'm afraid that—gah!" Roark said before he was cut off by a blinding light that emanated from Caesar as the little penguin tweeted. Bluish white light fully enveloped the Pokemon in a pulsating sphere that expanded and contracted continually as flares and wisps of a white, energetic, and bright substance broke and branched off at times before dissipating into the air around them. Small currents began to circulate around the now enlarged circle before the whole display suddenly vanished: completely disappearing as the whole sphere dissolved into energy and an opaque fog, creating a parting mist where Caesar's new silhouette stood tall.

"Whoa," Lucas barely mouthed as Caesar walked out of the smoky fog, a new and powerful form. His head now had a gold ridges that joined to its upper beak, his body now had four button-like markings instead of two, his eyes became a piercing blue sea-color, his little coat on his back had now grown into a cloak-like feature where the sleeves and collar line fused into his wings and neck, and his frame had now expanded so that he reached Lucas's thighs. Caesar, now a proud Prinplup standing tall (well, at least by little Pokemon standards), puffed his chest out, lightly flapping his larger and more robust wings with excitement.

"Interesting, it seems that your Piplup has—"

"Holy fuck he _evolved_! He-he evolved!"

"Yes. It appears that is what happened," Roark said with a slightly disdainful expression. "Of course, I'm sure you haven't forgotten that we have a battle to finish? Carson, finish this off!" he announced as the screen displayed the head of a Cranidos while a blue, bipedal Pokemon with the body of a theropod raptor and a head covered in a rocky but sturdy shell jumped into the battlefield from one of Roark's Pokeballs. Steam from its breath condensing into clouds even though the air inside the gym was warm. "Carson! Use Headbutt!"

"Caesar, dodge that!" Lucas yelled as the Pokemon on the other end suddenly picked up speed and charged at Caesar like Lucas had seen no other Pokemon do before. The Pokemon simply tucked its head down and charged, now gaining immense velocity while its rock-sturdy head and focus were aimed Caesar like a boxer's glove coated in solid rock. Caesar waddled weakly to the side, his little legs unable to provide him with the speed or thrust needed for proper agility. "Watch out! Watch ou—" He was cut off by the cringe-inducing _THWACK_ of Carson's head whipping into Caesar's side, raising the penguin two feet into the air as it flipped on its side before it came crashing down in a heap. The healthbar on the screen for Caesar was now in the yellow range: another hit from Carson would finish the job.

Without any explicit instruction from Roark, Carson began to charge once again at Caesar the moment Caesar barely pulled himself up to stand up to face his opponent. Lucas knew he had to act quickly or he'd miss the badge after he'd gotten so close. "Caesar!" He called, and Caesar immediately turned to face him, even though the rampaging Carson was nearing his target by the second. "Use Bubble, but don't fire until I say so. We need to make sure that we get him with one hit and that he doesn't escape or run away." Caesar nodded and returned his attention to the charging assailant, who once again lowered his head to increase the airflow and deliver a jarring impact with his bony head.

"Let him have it!" Lucas thundered as the theropod was only a few strides away when Caesar opened up and let loose a small burst of bubbles. With the increased strength of his evolution now powering him, his bubbles were now with more density and speed, colliding with the target with satisfying splashes and pops. Each bubble splashed onto Carson's face and legs, soaking the creature in a super effective attack from head to toe and increasing the weight and drag of the creature as its porous rock hide was now filled with water. Carson's footing almost instantly gave way and the giant came toppling down into the ground below with his head skidding with a guttural grating sound against the granite. Carson was absolutely still: fainted.

The screen flashed a large red "X" over Carson's image on the screen before gashing a red line through Roark's half of the screen, then changing to center on Lucas's picture. Both Caesar and Lucas were breathing rapidly and heavily, not form exertion of exercise but form the relaxation of pent up nerves and pressure over the course of the past two days being let out all at once. "We… did it. We did it!" Lucas said running to pick up Caesar who tweeted happily as he admired his new, royal plumage. "Caesar, can you believe it? We—oof. Man, you got a bit heavier, huh?" he laughed as he lifted the 56-pound Pokemon with a bit of an unexpected struggle. Caesar continued to tweet happily, flapping his wings with excitement before wriggling out of Lucas's grip, tapping his Pokeball, and returning himself to his portable home. "Well done, everyone," Lucas smiled at the Pokeballs on his belt. "A treat for everyone when we get home, I promise."

"A spectacular job, Lucas, although you could use a little polishing when it comes to your style, don't you think?" Roark remarked.

"I agree. I guess I didn't get the full feel for this whole battling idea yet."

"Yet your tact and planning showed. You managed to defeat an opponent with statistical and type advantages using careful strategizing and commanding on the field in the moment, and something tells me you've mined this skill from another quarry, another skill entirely."

"I'm a bit pugnacious by virtue, so I guess I must've picked it up over time."

"Well, I'll give you your reward right away. Here," Roark said as he handed Lucas a badge from his pocket. It was a polished black badge with a rough texture that seemed to be the deepest black that Lucas had ever seen. "This is the coal badge," Roark said as Lucas put it into a jacket pocket, "and it's the first of eight badges that you'll have to obtain from this region in order to challenge the League at the end of this year. It'll also let you activate this HM," he said as he fished out another item from his pocket, this time a jet black disc, "for Rock Smash. Are you a Sinnoh native?"

"Uh, yes…" Lucas said, not quite sure how the final question was related to the context of his victory.

"Well, you've probably noticed that we have a lot of rubble and eroding boulders on some of our routes and older infrastructure. You can break the obstacles if a Pokemon knows the HM move Rock Smash even if the Pokemon is not in a battle. Trust me, it'll come in handy, especially when you're on mountains or climbing rockier routes."

"Thank you, Roark," Lucas said with a respectful nod, "I'll be on my way then."

"See you around, Lucas." Roark turned to leave back to the interior entrance to the gym where he led Lucas and Dawn through when Lucas called out to him again.

"Roark! Hold up for a second."

"What is it?" Roark questioned, somewhat perplexed by what matters could still be on Lucas' mind that involved him.

"I know you're the gym leader of this town, and that you've got your own work to be busy with, but if you ever do get any leads on Galactic that point to something… serious, I need you to let me know," Lucas somewhat sternly said, his tone's gravity indicating the sincerity of his request.

Roark simply laughed, however, "I will, but listen to me carefully. I get that you're looking out for something potentially dangerous here, believe me. I guess you've also got every right to be concerned or push for a change. But, as you said, I'm a gym leader. I take care of the people here in Oreburgh, and their condition is my number one priority. My point is," he said, shaking his head in slight disbelief, "if _I'm_ not that suspicious or worried about them myself beyond a couple vague surmises and stray pieces of evidence that may or may not lead to a meaningful conclusion, I don't see why a kid like you should have to get his hands dirty in this stuff, especially when you've got seven more of those to pick up," he said, pointing to Lucas' pocket where he had put the badge. "I mean no offense when I say this, but you're just a boy."

Lucas' expression became significantly more stern, a look of determination and steely confidence armoring his face as his tone dropped to a near-growl. "What about that boy in Hoenn?"

"Brendan?"

"Exactly, did you watch the news, recently?"

"Yes…" Roark said with a premonition of where Lucas' argument was headed to.

"He's just a boy, too, isn't he? Yet he just held back two criminal organizations on his own at much risk to his own life. I didn't hear about any gym leaders or elite four members there with—"

"I'm going to stop you before you slip your tongue beyond retraction," Roark sternly said as his eyes glinted with some hostile disapproval. "We gym leaders are not a domestic standing army. I'd think someone your age would know that we also have political allegiances and responsibilities. Do you think we can attack or open fire on moment's notice? There are rules, Lucas. Especially for us."

"No offense, Roark, but you've just proven my point. If nobody in authority _can_ fight, then who will?"

Roark gave a conceding nod, although his expression revealed a jaded look, one of defeat. "You can answer that question however you'd like," he said, giving codified approval of Lucas' intentions, "And if I do get leads, you'll hear about them." He reached out his hand to shake Lucas' shook with a firm grip. "You and your friend, Barry, have an intense, glowing spirit: like fresh magma. He hits hard, you hit fast, but both of you have a vibrant passion for battling with your Pokemon. I expect you two to go far. I'll be off, now. I've got to investigate that material in the cave a bit more, and see what I can find out about it." Lucas nodded as Roark headed off back to the exit as Lucas simply stood where he was, his brain firing thoughts left and right at incredible speeds.

"Hey," Dawn said as she pounced on him from behind with a hug, startling Lucas into total stiffness. "I knew you could do it! Ooo, you should have _seen_ yourself!" she squealed as her blue eyes sparkled with the happy glow of sunlight kissing the sea. She let him go from her embrace, as he swiftly turned around to face her with a faux smile on his face, although he still blushed lightly at her cheeriness and close proximity.

"Well, uh, you certainly made it easier for me by just being there," he replied with a tone of cautious thanks.

Dawn quickly picked up on his hesitance and uncertainty: _something's bothering him_ , she thought, _I hope it's not me…_

"Hey," she said placing her hand on his shoulder, "you don't look so well…" Lucas stared straight into her eyes, holding back a small smile. "It's okay, you can tell me."

"I will," he said motioning to the main exit of the gym that would lead back out into Oreburgh. He and Dawn began walking out as he began his explication. "After Roark gave me this," he said as he pulled out his new badge.

"Ooo, can I see that?" Dawn interjected, and Lucas gently handed it over from his fingers to hers. He continued speaking while she ran her finger over its surface.

"I asked Roark to tell me about anything he finds out about Galactic, just in case there's anything I can do to help. He ended up, uh, agreeing to some extent, but one thing is clear. If these guys rear their heads again, we can't expect help."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked with concern as she lifted her head to look at Lucas.

"I mean that the gym leaders, the league, the police… the law has their hands tied in mutual bureaucratic limbo. If these guys really are winding up to strike on Sinnoh, maybe even the world, I'm going to have to hold what ground I can by myself."

"You mean _our_ selves. Lucas, you're not going to do this alone. I won't let you," she said, holding his hand, "and neither will Barry," she added, laughing while Lucas' face flushed. "Besides, you said _if_ they ever come up again, and after what happened the last time they ran into you, I doubt they ever will," she stated reassuringly. "But that doesn't mean you should do what you did the last time again. For a moment there, I was… afraid," she quickly followed up.

There was a bit of silence as the two pocketed their hands in an attempt to keep them warm from the freezing air around them. "If we can get to Jubilife fast enough, we can grab lunch and head out to Floraroma Town. You'll love it there, I promise."

"Yeah, my next contest is over there, too, and it's only a week away, too, so I guess it's a good idea to get there early and get some practice though, right?"

"Exactly," Lucas chimed in to agree. It took the two less time to tread Route 203 during the day than in the night and had made it to Jubilife not long before lunchtime.

"So what's in Floraroma Town other than the contest center?" Dawn curiously asked. She'd heard her friends dote over the place being "the dreamiest place in the world" during her childhood, but now she had to know for real. "A lot of things, actually: first off, there are flowers. Everywhere. I mean, these aren't lots of flowers in neat little gardens, no no no. _These_ flowers will spill out of gardens, onto lawns, sidewalks, roads, paths, buildings, and essentially anything that they can possibly dock themselves on. The plants there grow so quickly and vigorously that they've changed the environment, actually. While the rest of Sinnoh's locked in a cold winter, Floraroma Town gets to a low of 45 degrees each year during the winter. There's a cool energy facility there, lots of honey and Combees, and the hottest girls in Sinnoh are from there."

"What?"

"What."

"That last part: what'd you say?"

"Nothing. What'd you hear?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure you and I both know _exactly_ what you said," she said with a playfully smug smile while Lucas hung his head in embarrassment.

"I say we head into the Pokemon Center and grab lunch. What do you think?"

"If you don't mind, I think we should go to the—"

"OI! Lucas!" a familiar voice said from the other side of the street that they were on. Lucas and Dawn whirled around to see Alyssa cautiously making her way across the street with Barry nearly running into a couple of people and receiving frightened honks from nearby cars. "How'd it go? Did you make it?"

"Yeah, I did. It took me a lot longer than it took you, but I made it."

"Either way, congratulations man. One down, seven more to win: and then, we take over the league."

"Exactly, and then we find out which one of you takes over the Sinnoh Contest Circuit," he said, looking at Dawn with admiration.

"Before all of that, I'd find out where y'all plan on havin' lunch," Alyssa jovially stated, diverting the topic.

"That actually would bring us right to where we left off before you two came, actually. Dawn asked for lunch, too, and I was about to suggest that we go to the top of Poketch Tower first," he kindly propounded, pointing to the massive, sky-shattering, and spiraling tower that narrowed at the top like an exquisitely designed drill bit.

"I'm hungry, and I want to disagree with you," Barry began with a defeated expression, "But you're right." He turned to Alyssa and Dawn before speaking again, "Tourists flock to the tower right after and before lunch, but during lunch, it's pretty clear of visitors and we can go up there and actually spend some time without being jostled around so much. Besides, there _is_ a restaurant up there that we can hit after we go to the top of the tower. How does that sound?"

"It sounds fine, but how much does it cost to eat there?" Dawn asked with her eyebrow raised.

"$200. Per person. At least," Barry said in defeat.

"Hey, that's no problem, actually," Lucas stated, "I've still got some of the money that Valerie forked over, and we've both gotten about another $1000 transferred onto our cards from the Gym Battle's winnings. We can pay for you two," he kindly offered. "I-if you guys want…"

"That sounds quite nice," Dawn says, laying her hand on his shoulder and laying her head comfortably on it.

"Then I suggest we get moving quickly before the Tower gets full of people again," Barry prompted. The Dawn and Alyssa followed Lucas and Barry by their sides, looking around at the massive edifices around them still glinting light from the overhead noon sun blasting heat on the ground below that was slowly letting go of its chilly grip on the surface life.

Lucas and Barry almost instantly grabbed their phones and began thumbing their way at them rapidly, punching numbers and moving in and out of screens much to Alyssa's confusion and Dawn's distaste.

"Whatcha doing?" Dawn asked, playfully shouldering Lucas.

"We're. Buying… tickets," Lucas slowly said as he equally divided his attention between answering the question and buying the tickets. "There. Done. I've got us passes to go to the 153rd-floor observatory," he said with a smile at Dawn.

"Same for us," Barry said to Alyssa who gratefully nodded and locked her arm in his nonchalantly, although Barry put every piece of control he had to keep from jumping with joy.

The three made it to the masterpiece of architecture that towered that stood at a staggering 2500 feet tall in a few minutes, and Barry's words about the rush there instantly became a reality. Dozens of people were pouring out of the exit doors of the tower for every couple of people that made their way through the massive silver-colored revolving doors.

"It's… _huge_ ," Alyssa gasped. Barry snickered like an idiot until Lucas promptly gave him a surreptitious shove in the gut. The four made their way down the ever-shrinking line to the registration where they promptly Lucas and Barry promptly showed their tickets to the clerk who quickly scanned them and handed them each a small pamphlet with information about the Tower's construction and architectural genius.

"Wait, so this isn't Poketch HQ?" Dawn asked with surprise after reading a quick scan of the pamphlet.

"No," Lucas smiled, remembering a time when he'd posed the exact same question to his father the first time he came here years ago. "Poketch owns almost all of the real estate in this tower, so they have the title, but their HQ is a bit further down this street. I guess they chose to do it this way for publicity: tourists see your name on the tallest tower in the world, they'll probably buy more of your products, right?"

"Like they need any more publicity than their already getting," Barry smugly interjected. "The Poketch 4 and the PokePhone X sold out their stock for almost two weeks. And stores were getting new stock _every day_. Even the $1200 devices with Rotom Integration flew off the shelves like they were going out of style!"

"Wait, you can _live_ in here?!" Dawn said with almost envious as she thumbed through the pamphlet even further with wide eyes.

"Yeah, of course, you can. But, you need a small sum of about $6 million dollars a year for just a two-bedroom apartment, and that doesn't even count maintenance costs.

"Well, if you became champion, would you live here?"

"Pshhh, no," Lucas replied, rolling his eyes. "I'd rather have a _nice_ house down in Sunnyshore City and a sweet winter retreat in Snowpoint City."

"Hm, seems like you have your future all planned out," Dawn cheerfully smiled at him.

"Well, some parts are missing. Sort of," he said with a nonchalant expression. _Like someone to live with in those houses_ , he thought.

"Like who to live with inside those houses?" Dawn asked with that same alluring smile.

"Are you like a disguised Pokemon or something?" Lucas deadpanned.

"What are you talking about?" Dawn laughed.

"You said exactly what I was thinking. I mean, the sentence was the _exact_ same. You stole it from my mind."

"Well, I'll provide you hint you an answer to that thought compensate for my theft of your intellectual property," she jovially said, tapping his forehead with her finger. "Maybe the answer's right in front of you."

Time slowed to a near standstill as Lucas' brain went into overdrive mode, computing every possible probability and meaning of what she had just said. _'Maybe the answer is right in front of you.' That's what she said, right? But nobody is in front of me. Except for that dude in front of us in line for the elevators. But I'm turning to face her, so maybe she_ _ **is**_ _in front of me. But what if she means my metaphorical front: like in the near future? What if she's just saying good luck because she sees me like a brother?!_ His thoughts became more frantic and his expression more panicked, leaving Dawn in an awkward second to herself before he finished riding his supersonic train of thought. _Alright, I know what to say. Now slowly let it roll off of your tongue, Lucas._ "Then I'll be sure to take that opportunity as soon as possible," he deadpanned again, looking straight into her eyes like a hawk.

 _Crisis averted,_ he sighed in his head. Soon enough, they were inside the lavish elevators. Gold plated the roof of the elevator's intricate designs with lions, cherubs, and winged men holding olive branches. The spacious compartment held nearly twenty people with enough room in between them to sit down without touching each other. As an elevator boy pressed a few buttons, as the elevator lurched upward with incredible speed as the screen that read the floor number changed like a speedometer. Unlike Alyssa, Dawn hadn't held on to anything, and the incredible acceleration caused her to nearly slip backward until Lucas quickly caught her in his arms with a somewhat awkward smile to the amusement of the other passengers on the elevator, including Barry, of course.

"You should, uh, hold on to something," he shyly said as he lifted her back up.

She latched herself around his left arm, leaning her cheek against his shoulder. "I'm holding on," she whispered lightly.

The elevator's doors opened a minute later when the loud rushing of wind at high elevation could be heard whistling across the entirety of the platform. Dawn slowly let go of Lucas and walked out with him into the small but incredibly luxurious lobby that led into the observatory deck that surrounded it from all sides. They skipped resting at the lobby and went straight to the nearest door that led them onto the observatory. Lucas held the door open for the other three, holding it back as the wind tried to incline him to leave it shut.

Seeing that her small cap was refusing to stay on her head as the wind tried to lift it away into the blue skies above, Dawn carefully removed it and placed it securely into her bag as he hair flowed freely in the racing wind's form.

Despite the fact that Lucas and Barry could see nearly all of Sinnoh from where they were standing, the two were almost entirely transfixed by the sight in front of them. The wind carried and rippled Alyssa and Dawn's hair into a streamlined, velvety flow of bluish black and vibrant blonde like beautiful flags atop a mast. While Lucas and Barry were still looking agape at them, Dawn and Alyssa had spotted a patch of vibrant colors sprouting from the earth and coating it in a glowing aura not far from where they were: Floraroma Town. The two squealed with excitement as they went over to use the binocular lens stands atop the observatory that allowed them to gaze closely onto the different parts of the city.

"Wow. It really _is_ as beautiful as they said it was," Dawn said with her breath escaping her.

"As who said it was?" Alyssa asked, unable to keep up with her pronoun game.

"My old friends, back in Kanto. They said that they'd want to live there with their boyfriends someday."

"Did you buy into it?"

"Ha, no. Until Lucas told me more about it. And then I kinda believed him. And _now_ , I think I want to live there, too."

"It reminds me of home. A slow, relaxed life with lots of happy Pokemon and hard work, but Floraroma just seems more… alive. Look at all those little Combee hives on the trees and the Ursarings trying to reach it!" Alyssa laughed.

On the other side of the observatory, Lucas and Barry were equally taken back by a different sight. As usual, they'd look into the binocular lenses that pointed straight to Canalve City where expensive yachts and cars would be parked along the track and waterways for all to see from above.

"Holy shit, there are even more yachts there than usual," Barry gasped with excitement.

"Yeah, a bunch of super-yachts, too. I-is that a… holy fuck it _is!_ " Lucas said with disbelief and thrill. "Dude, look at the yellow yacht, top deck next to the girl with the—"

"It's a Mega Blastoise! And he's using a Hydro-Cannon on another yacht!"

"That other white one's firing back at him, too."

"Could you imagine having so much money that you have a yacht for pirate battles in Canalave Bay?"

"Well, their ships aren't capsizing or anything, and the Pokemon seem to be having fun, too. If you can get your hands on a yacht, you can easily have one of those battles," he said as multiple water-type Pokemon trainers on each deck gave orders for their Pokemon to fire at each others vessel.

"Forget a house and car: I'm buying one of _those_ when I become champion."

"I don't know, Barry. I think I'm going to get one of those sweet rides," Lucas said, pointing to the famous Canalave raceway which had several luxury cars parked along its exterior and racing for lap times in its interior.

"Yeah, I take that back," Barry said with a wide grin on his face. "I think I might get that AMG Project One over there first."

"How about that Dodge Demon?"

"Oh come on, quit thinking like a pleb."

"Alright," Lucas laughed, "How about that SRT Viper GT?"

"Meh, not bad. Check out that Koenigsegg, though. I've never seen it before."

"It's the Jesko: champion of production cars. It fucking broke 300 miles per hour."

"No. Way. Are you serious?"

"No kidding, man. It's got 1600 Rapidashes in it."

" _1600?!_ "

"Yep. Titan of a machine, innit?"

"Wait, is that a new McLaren?"

"What? Where?"

"It's not on the track, but it's parked outside on the left—"

"Yeah, I see it now. What a paint job. I guess the Galars are producing super-cars again?"

"They definitely are. That one's called the 720s I think. Or the Senna. I forget."

"We should definitely check the track times when we get the chance, but we've got no signal up here."

"You know what else you should do when you get the chance?" Barry slowly asked as a La Ferrari shot off of the starting line of the track. "Ask Dawn out."

Lucas removed the head from the binocular sights to look disapprovingly at Barry before looking back inside to the see the rocketing Ferrari. "I'm not as fast as you are, Barry. I need to make sure my shot will hit, and I don't even know if she likes me yet."

"You're fucking stupid, Lucas. She's been dropping hints like crazy. What? Does she have bend over and say—"

"Shut up and get to the point," Lucas smirked.

"Alright, alright. You're like that Ferrari right there. You see—"

"Barry: no metaphors. Point. Make it."

"Arceus, alright. You're running out of time, man. To be honest, you being extra careful will get you jack shit. Just use what you have, and go for it."

"Barry, I don't make decisions as quickly as you. I don't gamble when I can still change the odds."

"Well if you don't do what I do right now, there'll _be_ nothing left."

"Explain," Lucas sighed.

"If you don't make a move now, some lucky sap'll pick her up and there will be nothing you can do about it."

"If she doesn't want to be with me, I can't _force_ her to like me. I'll stand by her choice."

"Bullshit."

"Are you saying I'm gonna get jealous?"

"Lucas," Barry said, taking his eyes out of his binocular to look at Lucas, who did the same. "You tell me. You keep doing what you're doing, and pretty soon, you'll know what I'm talking about. Think about it, man. She'll wake up next to someone else. Laugh with somebody else. Cuddle to sleep with somebody else. Go to dinner with somebody else. Fall asleep in somebody else's arms." He paused to let out a deep sigh. "Jealousy is when you're mad that somebody has something you don't. Despair is what you feel when something or someone you love is just out of your reach: forever."

Lucas took a moment to absorb what Barry just told him as the words him on a raw nerve: one that he'd avoided touching for years altogether. "She doesn't _like_ me. I think. I-I'm just a friend who can help her out, and if I try to overstep my bounds I'll get _shot down_. Like I always do."

"She's different."

"Yeah, because unlike everyone else I've tried to ask out, I've also _killed_ someone in front of her and made her _fear_ me for a while. I've let her down, held her back, and have been a total asshat ten too many times. I need time to fix what I've done."

* * *

"You don't understand, Alyssa. I-I don't think he will. He won't ask me out. He doesn't see me that way," Dawn said with her face hung as her heart began to feed its emotion straight into her head.

"Says who?" Alyssa said with a sweet and reassuring tone that was slowly leaning to become that of a cross-examiner.

"I-I sometimes… I'm not nice to him sometimes. He-he tried to protect us that day when those Galactic thugs came out. He tried to _save_ someone. And instead of saying thanks I just… I don't what I did or why I did it."

"You were scared, and there's nothing wrong with that. Why are you beating yourself up because of that?"

"It was the wrong thing to say. I hurt him… I just know I did. But that's ONE thing. ONE thing. The 500 other things tell me he likes you. Just try to push on him a little harder, and things should fall right in place, right?"

"Alyssa, I tried to kiss him. Once."

 _Uh-oh_ , Alyssa thought, knowing this would turn into an emotional fireball.

* * *

"And what'd you do?" Barry asked, a bit concerned about what was coming.

"I, uh…" Lucas trailed before clearing his throat, "pulled away."

"You _what_?"

"Oi, don't look at me like that. I didn't know why, but I felt it… unnatural. Too fast."

"Should she kiss you in the wilderness? Will that feel natural?" Barry half-smirked.

"Okay, now you're just being an ass."

"Can't help it. She gave you _exactly_ what you've been looking for, and you blew it."

"I know," Lucas said with his hand on his head.

"Well, what'd she say?"

"Nothing, really. She just… kept her head down, walked back to her bed. Fell asleep," he sighed. "I tried to talk to her to sorta even out the gap, but—"

"She didn't respond?"

"Yeah. Sort of."

"You've _still_ got a shot, though, and you have to take it."

* * *

"No. I don't have a shot, Alyssa," Dawn said with defeat. "He pulled away from a kiss. What more evidence do you need?"

"I don't need any more evidence: I have it all. That day in the battle, when he—"

"Left me? Yeah, I remember."

"He didn't _leave_ you, sweetie. That was just him being stupid. And Barry, too, but I'm not holding him too accountable," she laughed, hoping to cheer Dawn up. "I see him sometimes when he looks at you, Dawn. And he's _totally_ smitten. He looks tough sometimes, but next to you, he's as giddy as a June-bug in the fields and melts like butter on a hot day," Alyssa giggled. Dawn looked up now, a glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes. "Think about the time you've spent with him. He keeps coming back to you because he can't help it, Dawn. He likes you too much, and frankly, it shows. I'm surprised you haven't caught on."

"It's because… I'm not sure. Sometimes, it looks like he does like me, and I feel so… free, so powerful, when I'm with him. But when I try to push forward…"

* * *

"I always end up screwing shit over," Lucas said with his head raised, trying to show his confidence in his statements though it was more difficult than he had imagined.

"In the elevator," Barry began, "She forgot to hold onto something, and she fell back. You were there for her, and you helped her up. That's not screwing over. And you quickly got her to her feet instead of uncomfortably staring at her or making things weird, that's not screwing over. And when you asked her to hold onto something, she held on to _you_. To _you._ Who in their _damn_ mind would do that unless they wanted you? As more than 'just a friend.' She likes you, buddy. It's about as clear as shit."

"I don't know, shit's kinda murky and opaque."

"You get the fucking point."

"Yeah. I got it."

"You need to ask her out. And fast."

"Nice, but I need a deadline."

* * *

"I'll do it by this week," Dawn said with a bit more hope in her eyes.

"I want you in his arms and swooning by next Sunday," Alyssa joked.

"Dawn, we have to go. Now!" Lucas said while he and Barry charged towards them, surprising Alyssa and Dawn.

"Hey, Lucas, I—"

Lucas grabbed her hand, interrupting her as she blushed, "It's Professor Rowan. He's in serious danger."


	14. Chapter 14: An Exercise in Civil Defense

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed that last chapter. There was some amazing critical feedback in there, and, as usual, I loved reading** ** _all_** **of it. I'm actually trying to go back and make changes in the previous chapter to reflect the amends, and I'm also going to be answering some doubts and concerns as part of the story of this chapter. As usual, thank you guys for reading this stuff, and I'd appreciate it if you left a review!**

Chapter 14: An Exercise in Civil Defense

Lucas' fear was worrisomely clear in his eyes as he pulled on Dawn's hand. "Dawn, it's serious. They're back."

Dawn said nothing as the panic began sweeping through her.

"Grunts, at the end of the city. Route 104. Rowan's down there. All hands on deck. Barry, Alyssa, you're coming too," he said as he rapidly turned to face the other two."

"Like you have to even ask," Barry nodded in agreement as grabbed a Pokeball from his satchel. Alyssa grabbed a Pokeball from her purse as well as the group prepared for an incoming battle.

"We have to get there as fast as possible," Dawn began with a very toughened, unempathetic look on her face. "Let' go." She began to race off to the elevators as she slung her bag around her shoulder with Lucas, Alyssa, and even Barry tailing quickly.

They reached the ground floor in under a minute, and all four dashed outside into the busy sidewalk at full speed. The sidewalk was full of lunchgoers and workmen on break. Lucas and Barry decided to take over, knowing the routes and the areas of the city by heart.

"Come on," they both firmly said, grabbing Dawn and Alyssa by the hand and pulling them into a parking lot for another massive skyscraper.

"Wait, where are we going. Professor Ro—"

"We can't walk through all that traffic. And we're certainly not waiting for sidewalk signals. This is faster, trust me," Lucas said through pants as he and the other three broke into a full sprint across the lot, earning more than a few honks from cars navigating around the inclines and rows full of various luxury vehicles. A minute later, they emerged at the other end of the parking lot's entrance, having cut through a few blocks of traffic and traveling quickly into walking traffic again. This time, Lucas and Barry cut through while Dawn and Alyssa followed closely behind them.

Nearly hitting a car as they charged through a two-way street, they reached a less crowded end of the city nearly five blocks of running later, panting, and looked to the path that opened to Route 204 ahead of them. "Lucas, I-I can't find—"

"There," Alyssa interrupted, pointing to four grunts surrounding a familiar old man how had a stern, bold countenance. They were still a hundred yards away and had to close the distance fast, and, once again, began sprinting. As they neared, they could see one of the grunts backhand the old professor across his right cheek. Dawn silently grimaced, her eyes reddening with tears, but she held her fury down and kept chasing. One of the grunts grabbed Rowan by the collar now, and his voice was finally audible to the oncoming trainers.

"I'm not going to ask you twice, Professor. Just give us the fucking research!"

"How specific," Rowan gruffly replied. The grunt dug his fist into the poor Professor's gut, and he keeled over in pain, letting out an angered growl.

"Don't play a tough guy, old man," the grunt thundered, pulling back his fist as he held the coughing professor by his collar again. "We know where your little assistant girl is, and if you don't cough out what you know about those Lake Pokemon, then perhaps _she_ w—"

"Back OFF of him you _brutes_!" Dawn hollered as she threw Margaret's Pokeball in the grunts direction. The grunts slowly turned to face the trainers, who were now only a several yards away, as Lucas, Barry, and Alyssa released their Pokeballs as well. A Ponyta, Starly, and Shinx began running alongside their trainers (Alyssa, Lucas, and Barry respectively) as they closed the distance between themselves and their targets.

Taking notice of the approaching challengers, the grunt let go of the professor's collar, dropping him to the floor, and turned to face Dawn, Alyssa, Barry, and Lucas along with the rest of his team. Rowan got up and dusted himself off, and his formal confidence seemed a little shattered by Dawn's presence: he didn't want her there. "Dawn?" he said with an admonishing voice, "What are you doing here? You need to get out of here. I'll be fine," he finished as he looked to Lucas. "Keep her safe, boy. You need to leave before something serious happens to you."

"You 'eard ol' gramps," the lead grunt brashly stated, "Now piss off."

Dawn was finding it more and more difficult to hold herself back. "Professor, I'm not leaving with—"

"Lassie, fuck off. Unless you want your face to get pounded into the dirt next the professor's."

"Lucas, get her _out_ of here," the Professor said with demanding, fiery tone.

"With all due respect, sir, we can—"

"I've fucking had enough!" the lead grunt yelled, throwing a Pokeball to the floor as a luxurious, gray feline pranced onto the concrete floor: a Glameow. "Oi, you three, make sure these scums don't get to the professor!"

"Yes, boss," the other three replied. All three released their three Pokeballs at the same time, and two Stunkys, a Glameow, and a glittering green Zubat flew out of the Pokeballs.

"Heh, I wonder how you bumbling idiots managed to catch a shiny Zubat," the Professor chuckled, but the lead grunt would have none of it. Without saying a word, he turned around and dug toe of his boot into the professor's heel, sending the old man staggering backward.

"You know what, Professor? I'm done talking," the grunt furiously said. He turned to the other three grunts, who gave a nod in return. "Alright, Professor, if you don't give us that research, these four Pokemon here will open fire into lovely little assistant here, and you can carry her mangled corpse home as a present for your lack of cooperation," he said with a smirk.

"That's against the rules of Pokemon combat: you're not allowed to attack the trainer," Barry blurted out matter-of-factly.

The grunt just rolled his eyes in response with a chuckle of wry amusement: "I don't think you've noticed, but, uh, _we_ ," he said, gesturing to himself and the other grunts, "are criminals. We don't follow the rules, remember?"

The grunt then stooped to talk into the shaking Professor's ear, "Hm… I hear your brother died this way, too. Isn't that right? Don't you wish you could have taken your choice back? You and I both know you can't, so let's meet in the middle, shall we? That way, you won't have to make the same mistake twice."

"Dammit, Lucas! I told you to get her out of— oof," he said, as he spat out a small trickle of blood after another grunt kicked him mid-sentence.

"I'M GONNA' KILL YOU!" Dawn screamed as she attempted to charge toward the grunts.

"Dawn, don't do it. It's exactly what they want you to do," Lucas said, trying to calm her down as he used his entire body weight to hold her back. But she seemed to not notice him as she writhed in his comforting hold, trying shred the grunts across from her until she finally settled a few seconds later.

"You wanna' shot at me sweetie?" a grunt mockingly asked. "What's it going to be Professor?"

"Alright, I'm done. You apologize to the Professor and his assistant here and leave with your tail between your legs, or I send my foot _so_ far up your ass that your teeth will fall out. You follow?" Lucas butt in.

"Hm, a feisty one. Once our job here is complete, I'm going to have that Glameow there scratch you up all nice until you bleed to death," a grunt retorted.

"Lucas, I'm _ordering_ you to leave this instant!" the professor yelled, now angrier than before.

"With all due respect, professor, we can handle these grunts," he said before turning to face the lead grunt, "Perhaps they haven't noticed yet, but I've beaten 4 of them to a pulp right here in Jubilife not more than 3 days ago. And with three more people helping me this time, I'll sure as hell do it again."

"Move forward an inch, and I will have these Pokemon blast her head off!" one of the grunts said, although he was now a bit more afraid after hearing Lucas' mention of the events that happened a few days earlier.

"Do it. I dare you," Dawn fiercely said.

"W-we'll do it. We're not kidding around!"

"Dawn, please…" the professor begged as tears began to form in his eyes. "I can't lose you, too."

Dawn glanced sadly at her uncle for a short moment before looking back at the grunts with increased fury and rage. There was a tense silence as the grunts planted on their rear foot, ready but somewhat watchful and observant before choosing to spring into a fight. Lucas, Dawn, Alyssa, and Barry, on the other hand, seemed ready to fire on the instant they needed to. Seconds passed like minutes as the tension built between the two parties: a clash was now inevitable.

"I'm going to give you one more chance to leave, or you'll end up like your buddies," Lucas warned.

"You think you're all tough because you took on the easiest people of our lot. Some of them didn't even have Pokemon to fight with. Wait till you get a load of some _real_ power, and you can have a front seat while I humiliate you, your pal, that senile old professor, and your pretty lady friends right here and now," the lead grunt snarled.

A few more seconds crawled past until the order of attack rang from Lucas' side of the battlefield. "Margaret, use confusion on the Zubat!"

With that shout, the scene turned into visceral chaos with Pokemon and trainer lunged into the fight at full tilt, leaving nothing to mercy or hesitation. The Zubat, much to its grunts horror, fell to the ground almost immediately before weakly and dizzily fluttering and rising again, struggling to fight Margaret's concentrated power on her mind. Margaret began to give off a weak aura and began to close her eyes while she pressed her super effective attack deeper into the mind of her target, and her small Meditite's body began glowing with more power as she further concentrated.

To Dawn's right, Alyssa had decided to provide Dawn and sent Cecilia blazing toward the other final grunt's Stunky to hit it with a powerful hit from a Double Kick.

To her left, Lucas and Barry fought together as each tried to synchronize attacks from Galahad and Alexander to deal with the lead grunt's ferocious Glameow and his partner's Stunky. "Galahad, open up with a Wing Attack on the Glameow!" Lucas called out while Barry ordered Alexander to use Spark and defend Galahad from an oncoming Fury Swipes from the Stunky.

All at once, the Pokemon and their attacks condensed into an intense but small volume as attacks and Pokemon made rapid and concussive contact in the violent frenzy, much to Rowan's concealed but growing fear, but the battle was very clearly one-sided. Galahad dove out of the sky in his signature style, his wings glowing and pulsating with energy as his eyes narrowed to prevent the wind flow at his high speeds from destroying them. He cut across the Glameow with a whipping _CRACK_ as he pulled out of the dive and leveled off at low attitude, only feet above the ground. Alexander charged into the heap, tackling the Stunky with jolting electricity that it charged up in its fur, while the latter dug a few hits of its energized claws with Fury Swipes. Both hit the ground in a sparking, furry ball, with quick slicing movements from the still fighting but heavily weakened Stunky.

On the other side, Cecilia raised its front hooves and landed both on the little Stunky, sending the Skunk Pokemon directly into its trainer and knocking the former out with a devastating _THUD_ from the impact and super effective hit from the Double Kick. The Zubat next to Cecilia had finally succumbed to Margaret's focused Confusion attack, its thoughts in a mangled mess and the psychological disarray too much for it to maintain flight as it hit the ground without another flap of its wings. Both Grunts recalled their Pokemon with a look of fear, despair, and even anger in their eyes as they, along with Alyssa and Dawn, turned to face the other half of the battle.

"Cecilia! Take care of that Stunky!" Alyssa ordered.

"Margaret, use Calm Mind and then Confusion on the Glameow!" Dawn called out, pointing her finger to single out the target.

"You're an idiot. Glameow! Use Feint Attack!" the lead grunt laughed while Margaret charged up a rich, purple aura around herself, increasing her already strong concentration and power to higher levels. Glameow leaped off of her feet with the grace of a Ballerina, its front paws extended out into the sky while its tail and rear legs helped to aim its body upwards as it ensnared Galahad out of the sky, bringing him down like prey into the ground below with an explosive _WHACK._ The deceptive cat still held on to its prey, using Fury Swipes on its prey without a command from its owner, much to Lucas' anger.

Meanwhile, Alexander and the Stunky were tussling and writhing not far away, snarling and using tooth and claw as well as erroneous Sparks and Fury Swipes in their rage. "Finish it, Alexander. Send a Spark into his chest!" Barry excitedly thundered. The Shinx pinned and gripped the Stunky with its front claws, pulling a screech from the Stunky's throat before silencing it with a powerful Spark attack engaged directly into its chest. Having disabled its enemy, the little Shinx slid off and trotted back to Barry while the other grunt growled as he returned the Stunky.

Margaret had finished charging up with her Calm Mind, and Margaret now had an intense aura shimmering around her: her eyes even glowed as well with new power. Dawn knew that she had to fire the Confusion at the last remaining target, but the situation had changed too quickly. Galahad was now in the way as the Glameow held the bird firmly in the claws of its front paws, biting and nabbing at it while carefully avoiding the gripping talons of the powerful but small Starly. "Lucas, you need to get Galahad out of the way!" she called out, and Lucas nodded instantly, knowing what was coming with one glance at Margaret.

Before the lead grunt could even process or react to Margaret's captivating aura or what Dawn had just said to Lucas, Lucas recalled Galahad, leaving the Glameow's grasp suddenly empty, and sent out another Pokeball: "Prometheus, finish this!"

Dawn decided that now was the perfect time to switch her Pokemon as well: "Great job, Margaret. Hazel, you're up!" she said as she threw Hazel's Pokeball with one hand and returned Margaret with the other just after the Meditation Pokemon fired a powerful Confusion at Glameow, stunning and slowing the Pokemon.

"Alexander, Spark on Glameow!" Barry shouted while Prometheus, Hazel, and Cecilia patiently lined up directly across from the Glameow, like a menacing firing squad. Alexander hit squarely with his target, sending it sparking and rolling with momentum directly into the waiting line of fire of the fire-types. Like the raging broadside fire of a battleship, Prometheus, Hazel, and Cecilia delivered a crippling salvo of embers in rapid succession of the other, leaving the Glameow smoking and smoldering as it leaned over and collapsed.

The four trainers looked onto the lead grunt and his posse with happy resolve as they recalled their Pokemon, while one of the grunts tripped moving backward away from them. "I'm gonna kill you all. Wait till Commander Mars hears about this! She'll have you all fed to her Houndoom after she's boiled you in each other's blood! This isn't over y—ack!" he choked as Lucas ran forward and grabbed his collar.

"I could kill you. Right here. Right now. And nobody in the _damn_ world would care or bother to stop me, except for her right there," he whispered menacingly into the Grunt's ear while he pointed to Dawn, "but that's not why I'm letting you go right now. I want you to," he paused as he thrust his right foot into the grunts kneecap, "go and tell your 'Commander Mars' and any other sorry bitch in your little tea-party that if I ever see them in my way or in the way of any of the other people here…" he paused again, "I will hunt, not just kill, each and every one of you. One by one. Step by step. You will watch pieces in your machine disappear until you have all understand that resistance is futile and you kneel before me, begging for the ax to finish what you started." The grunt' eyes widened with fear as Lucas continued talking, "Now, I can make the whole ordeal less painful for you if you tell me where this Commander Mars is," he coldly whispered as he dug his fingers into the back of the grunt's neck.

"F-floaroma. She's in Floaroma Town!" he squeaked out, panicking.

"Floaroma? What's she doing there?"

"I-I don't know. I don't have clearance! I swear I don't—ugh," he spat as Lucas slammed him into the ground midsentence.

"You're lying. Tell me, what is Commander Mars doing at—"

"Lucas, he's had enough!" Dawn cut in, slightly trembling. "Let him go," she weakly followed.

Rowan keenly watched like a hawk as Lucas relaxed his shoulders, stood straight, and looked the grunt dead in the eyes as he rose to his feet as well. Lucas shoved the grunt his with his right hand in the direction of Route 204. "Run. Run away to your Commander Mars, and tell her what I told you. And you best pray that she takes that to heart, or she'll be taking a bullet instead." The grunt shakily nodded before limping away, grimacing as he held his knee. "I'm not going to tell you three separately," he said to the remaining grunts, "Leave." All four grunts walked away slowly on Route 4 with two grunts supporting the limping grunt while Lucas watched them silently until they had finally become obscured by thicket cover.

A crippling silence washed over the group as all eyes were on Lucas who seemed not to notice, dusting off his coat and scarf before looking up and making direct eye contact with the professor. "Professor, I hope you're okay."

"If it's my injuries, they'll heal in due course, boy. If it is about what I have just borne witness to, no. I am most certainly not okay," he said, his eyes slowly closing. "Barry, and you, young lady," he still said with his eyes closed, "I hope it wouldn't inconvenience you to leave us three alone for a while."

"N-no, sir," Barry shakily said. He gave a silent farewell nod to Lucas as Alyssa simply looked at Dawn with sympathy and at Lucas with confusion before she too turned around with Barry and left.

Silence ensued between the remaining three with Lucas and Dawn both looking at the professor while he focused the entirety of his gaze on Lucas. Lucas cleared his throat and began to speak when a cold _THWACK_ resounded across his right cheek, Rowan's hand turning his face left with brute force. Dawn gasped as she brought her hands to her face, "Professor please, you have to st—" She stopped as Rowan raised his hand to immediately silence her.

"Don't worry, Dawn. I-I deserved… that," Lucas weakly said as he regained his balance and rubbed his cheekbone.

"That and much more. I warned you. I told you to leave. You directly disobeyed my orders and demonstrated insolence during a critical moment, nearly resulting in her death!"

"Sir, I mean no disrespect, but we took care of the situation. The grunts are gone, and everyone, including you, I'd like to point out, is safe. We suffered no losses and the threat retreated, so yes, there is a clear fault in me for disobeying you, but there is _no_ fault in anything else I did."

"You fail to comprehend the fact that the _one_ fault you had is the largest and most dangerous one you possess. You worry so much about me and what would have become of me had you not arrived. I would have resisted. I would have struggled, and, if necessary, I was prepared to give my life. There was nothing they could have taken from me that I was not already willing to give up to keep her alive. But you, of course, have no coherent thought process whatsoever on this matter, and you nearly had her _killed_ for a meaningless, futile, success, and even that success, you were most uncivilized and exacting in your methods."

"Sir, we saw you from the top of the Poketch Tower. Sooner or later, she would have seen you and interfered, with our without me. As for my methods, I do not treat threats with respect because to do so would be as futile as it is civilized."

"Forget about how you dealt with them!" the Professor furiously said, "When you gave me your word that you would protect her, I trusted you, boy. I trusted you. I trusted that _even_ if she chose to run off and pick fights with grunts to save me, you would have the moral compass to not only prevent her from getting involved but also to safely escort her away when I _ordered_ you to. If a lucky hit from the Pokemon struck her, what would you do, Lucas?" Silence resumed as Lucas hung his head. "Then I've proven my point. I ruined her life once before, in the same situation, an I made a mistake that cost my brother's life and the happiness in poor Dawn's. I promised Aaron I'd take care of her, and I raised her since. And now, I worry that my promise may have been futile and that I may become the vexed source of her suffering once more when you pitted her against those… grunts."

"He did the right thing," Dawn said softly. The professor looked to her direction immediately. "He did the right thing," she said, loudly this time. "I-if Lucas and I _don't_ stop these grunts when they're terrorizing people, then what kind of people are we? How are we different from them?"

"At least you'd be alive if you did what I told you to!"

"If he did what you told him too, I'd rather be dead anyway."

"Dawn, I—you've been on this journey not for two _weeks_ now, and you're already standing up to criminals. I'm wise enough to tell you that you _will_ run into them again, but this time you'll be facing somebody higher in their ranks; they've surely noted you two, and perhaps Barry and that other girl, as consistent threats on their radar. There's no limit to what they'll do to remove you from their way," he paused as he sighed before speaking again, "I let you on this journey because I remember Aaron and Juliette telling me years ago how much you loved contests, how much you loved Pokemon. And when you came to Sinnoh, I saw that same ambitious and potent girl in you: I knew it would be most unethical of me to obstruct you in achieving your dreams, but it would just as unethical of me to let you battle these tyrants knowing full well that it could mean your end. I just cannot trust that you'll make it out alive with him."

"I think I'm the safest when I'm with him. If it wasn't for him, maybe I really would be dead."

The professor looked at Lucas almost menacingly. "It seems as though the two of you have made up your minds. I cannot force you to comply with the choices I want you to make, but I can tell you that if _anything_ happens to her," he said narrowing his focus on Lucas, "you will be liable. And though I may be a man of science and discipline, on the most personal matter I pursue ideals with frontier justice, boy." Lucas nodded affirmatively. "That isn't to say not I'm impressed by what you've done. Despite your blatantly disobedient actions, I must agree with you that they were rational to an extent. You defended me, her, and your ideals with prowess and strength given to you by your Pokemon. Your Pokemon have grown inclined and strong with you in a fashion that I, in my many years of evolutionary and behavioral research, have never witnessed. But I want you to remember that everyone has their capacity. There _will_ come a day when you will be defeated in battle, and neither the strength nor prowess you and your Pokemon have accrued can save you then: invincibility is a myth. I can only tell you that when such a day comes, I pray that it's against a regular trainer and not those Galactic thugs."

"Yes, sir," Lucas nodded.

"I trust, although reluctantly, that you will take care of yourselves, then. I'll be making my way back to the lab and nurse these wounds."

"Would you like us to escort you there?"

"No thank you, boy. There isn't much hindrance from the damage, mere inconveniences are all," the professor matter-of-factly said as he felt the blood on his face. "I should be able to navigate back on my own. I would, frankly, more about your path forward. I pray you will tread with caution," the professor forebodingly said as he turned and walked back to the direction of Sandgem Town.

"Lucas, I'm sorry about… that. About everything that just happened," Dawn said after Rowan had passed behind a building corner,

"Why are you apologizing? You did nothing wrong and neither did he."

"But he… he—"

"Hit me?" Lucas said with a painful smile as he brought his hand to his cheek, "As I said, I definitely deserved that. He was looking out for you, and he thought I was just as much danger as those Galactic guys because I kept leading you into their line of fire. Besides, he said we should focus on what's ahead of us, and I think we should look at that instead, and put this behind us for now."

"Should we file a report to the cops about these Galactic people?" Dawn cautiously said, hoping to change the subject to something less personal.

"No. They won't do anything anyways, and now we have a gym leader's word to back that up."

"But… what if Professor Rowan was right. What if we can't help but run into these people again and again?"

"It's not a question of if but when. We _will_ run into these guys again. That grunt will limp back to his commander, and if she's wise, she won't do anything stupid, but I have a feeling that won't be the case. When we do run into them, we're going to have to just kick their asses to the curb."

"Lucas," Dawn sighed with a hint of relief, "how do you keep doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"I mean, we keep running into these Team Galactic people, but every time you seem totally unshaken by them. You put up with it like it isn't weighing down on you."

"Right now, it isn't weighing down on me. We're not at war, yet. So I'm not taking this to heart so much as I am preparing for the next punch. But don't worry about it: I'm going to make sure you're nowhere near the fire."

"I'm _not_ taking a back-seat through all of this, Lucas. If you're going to stand against them, so am I. We agreed to go through our gyms and contests together, and I say we agree to fight Team Galactic together, too."

"Agreed," Lucas weakly smiled. "Come on, we have to get to Floaroma quickly."

"What about Barry and Alyssa?"

"They'll be on their way soon enough, but we'll have a lot of explaining to do when we see them again."

Dawn nodded in agreement, and the two walked forwards into the opening towards Route 204. Route 204 seemed to bear no features or semblance of Jubilife in it: it was as pristine and natural as Jubilife was concrete and steel. Dense, green grasses gently waived as little Winguls and Starlys played and drank from nearby ponds and creeks that lined the side of the route. A small white fence separated the banks of the ponds and creeks from the rest of the routes, but a jump was enough to move over them and onto the banks.

The two were quietly trekking through the bushes and thick vegetation when loud rustling could be heard ahead. Lucas held his hand up to stop Dawn as the two focused dead ahead.

 _BUDEW! BUDEW!_ Two small, green Pokemon, which looked like grasses tied into a bulbous knot, leaped in front of them. "What the!" Dawn yelped, jumping back while Lucas just laughed at her sudden fear. "Very funny, Lucas," Dawn said, pouting.

"Alright, you two, uh, out of the way now," Lucas confusedly said, gesturing away to the side, trying to tell them to move. The Budews only seemed more confused than before. "That way," Lucas said again, this time making walking motions with his fingers. Still now response. "Okay, then," he sighed, "I guess we'll just have to move around—hey!" he said with some surprise as the Budews moved to block his path again while he tried to navigate around them.

"I think they like you," Dawn laughed.

"Well, I don't like _them_. No grass types or fairy types on my team."

"That's mean. Look at those cute little things," she said playfully, bending down to pick one up when _POOF!_ Small, green dust particles sprayed from the Budews mouth at Dawn.

"Wha—a-choo!" she sneezed as she stepped back. "Whoa, uh, Lucas," she said holding her hand to her head as she stumbled back. "I think I'm a little dizzy…" She couldn't finish her sentence as she slumped down, asleep.

Lucas quickly turned around and caught her before she hit the ground. "Hey, Dawn," he said, snapping his fingers by her ears. No response. He quickly felt her hand for a pulse like his mother had taught him so many years ago: he felt a steady undulating resistance against the touch of his fingers. He let out a sigh of relief as he gently lay her in the grass.

 _BUDEW!_ The green Pokemon angrily said as they began to approach him. "Alright, I asked you twice…" Lucas murmured as he pulled out two Pokeballs. "Prometheus, Galahad: go!" The Charmander and Starly landed right in front of Lucas, separating him from the suspiciously hostile wild Pokemon. The opposing Pokemon halted for a moment, but did not scatter and just kept yelling and screeching angrily. Lucas had enough when one of them lunged at Prometheus, who easily moved to the side and avoided the aggressive move. "Wing Attack and Ember."

In the span of a second, Galahad took to the skies and rained back down on one of the Budews, smashing into it with is powerful wings while Prometheus torched the other with a small fireball. The Budews fainted but not before dizzily bumping into each other and falling backward. "Alright, you two—whoa." He was cut short by a blue brilliance of light emanating from both Prometheus and Galahad as this light enveloped them entirely into a sphere of blue brilliance and color. Lucas had seen this once before now, and his mouth broke into a ridiculously happy grin at the spectacle.

As quickly as it had come, the sphere dissipated into the air, and as the brilliance and light faded, the form of a Staravia and Charmeleon appeared where the Charmander and Starly once were. Galahad's feathers and body were larger, his talons had stronger claws and larger on them, his beak had grown, and his head feathers had grown into a beautiful black arc. Prometheus on the other had a taller body, longer arms, an elongated and dragon-like head with a small protrusion in the back, and a longer a fiery tail all while maintaining his lustrous gold hue from his previous phase. Both Galahad and Prometheus immediately ran and flew over to him, with Galahad perching on Lucas' arm while Prometheus nuzzled against his side.

"Ah, look at you two," Lucas happily said. "Look at your wings, Galahad," Lucas said with pride and awe as Galahad stretched his much-enlarged wings wide as they slowly began to catch the gentle breeze that was pushing against them. Lucas' eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen and ducked just as Galahad took flight into the air, gliding at altitude effortlessly over the pond. Lucas eagerly watched the increased prowess of his evolved Pokemon when it did the unexpected.

Without warning and almost instantaneously, it dipped its stretched talons in the water below while using its wings as brakes before flapping vigorously and dragging a huge, wriggling orange mass out of the water: a Magikarp. While the struggling Pokemon writhed in its crushing grip, Galahad, although with some difficulty, persisted as he brought it to shore, dropping it form considerable altitude. "A real bird of prey, huh?" Lucas said with an impressed grin on his face. "I'm kind of glad you didn't see that though, Dawn," he chuckled. Prometheus ran over to Galahad and the two began pecking and devouring the catch while Lucas attempted to wake Dawn again.

"I don't want to do this to you, but…" he said as he released Caesar from his Pokeball. "Caesar, _lightly_ use Bubble on her." Caesar proudly nodded, gently discharging a light-blue and luxurious beam of bubbles that popped on her face, waking her.

She gently rubbed her eyes as she got up and faced Lucas, who stood up and pulled her up with him. Dawn quickly glanced around to see the Budews missing and all three of Lucas' Pokemon pecking at something by the banks of the ponds. "Oh my god, Lucas. What did you do?" she asked with some concern and curiosity.

"A lot actually," he nonchalantly replied, barely believing what he had just witnessed himself. "You were asleep for not less than 50 seconds because those Budews hit you with a Sleep Powder, and I sent Prometheus and Galahad in response to dismiss them. They defeated the Budews, and _both_ evolved before Galahad flew off over the pond, snatched a Magikarp as you see in the Jubilife TV documentaries, and plopped it down by the bank and began…"

"Oh my god," she said, putting her hands to her mouth with distaste. "And you let him do it?"

"Well, yeah. It's natural for them, right? You've seen those nature documentaries before."

"Yeah, but those are _wild_ Pokemon that hunt each other, Lucas. We have Pokemon food in our bags!"

"But this is way cooler!"

"I think you mean _crueler_."

"Hey, your Pokemon don't have to hunt, you know. I'm just going Laissez-Faire on mine: it's not like I'm going to _train_ them to attack and eat other Pokemon or something." Dawn raised her eyebrow. "I'm serious!"

"Okay, I believe you," she said, rolling her eyes as she turned to face the three Pokemon by the lakeshore. Galahad was making rounds and dives above the lake, flapping his wings with Wing Attacks to make waves and flows in the water below while Caesar was happily breaching and jetting effortlessly through the water, creating wakes behind him. Even Prometheus, despite his general aversion for bodies of water, was having his share of fun as he lobbed small Ember attacks into the water and watched them sizzle and boil the water around them before they disappeared.

"You're Pokemon are crazy, Lucas," Dawn chuckled, "just like you. I like that." She leaned onto him, hugging his arm. _I think it's time you noticed I'm crazy too, about you._

The two ate lunch, a picnic of sorts, as Lucas pulled some out leftovers for their previous meals that they shared between themselves and Dawn's Pokemon. They sat there by the bank watching all five of their Pokemon play in and above the water. It took a bit of convincing and persuading to get all of their Pokemon to return back to their Pokeballs again, but once Caesar finally acquiesced and left the water, they two continued trekking and made their way to the Ravaged Path.

Outside the cave's entrance, Dawn stopped to read the small sign that stood outside the dark, void-like entrance.

 _RAVAGED PATH_

 _The path above is an unsupervised part of nature with little light and is the habitat of many wild Pokemon. Tread with caution and use a light source and map to guide you through. Estimated Travel Time: 4 hours_

 _DO NOT DISTURB OR PROVOKE THE WILDLIFE._

"Wait," she said, putting her hand in front of Lucas as he was moving forward, "It sounds dangerous to go through here."

"Well, there's no other way to get to Floaroma."

"But it's going to get dark in a few hours, so if we start getting into the cave now, it'll be dark before we get out," she said as she peered into the dark cave.

"We can set up camp for the night, then."

"In the cave?"

"Yep."

"A-are you sure about that?"

"We'll be fine, trust me. We can make a fire with the wood I brought."

"How did you fit that much would in your bag?"

"Porta-boxes," he matter-of-factly said. "Never heard of 'em?"

"Uh, no."

"So they used the technology that puts a Pokemon into a Pokeball to turn other small and relatively little objects to more portably sized versions of themselves that are stored in a box. When you need the device, just tap the dot on the box and you get your stuff inside back."

"Hm, neat."

"Well, it doesn't really work on anything bigger than a small car, and the object you're shrinking can't weight too much either."

"Okay, I guess we'll be fine, then."

"Right, you'll need this," Lucas said as he fished and handed her a flashlight from his backpack. "Ready to go?"

"Mhm," Dawn smiled, and the two ventured forth.  
The ravaged path was a relatively small cave, so light poured in from both the entrance and the exit which helped to keep the cave fairly visible for a few hours, but the journey to the exit was still slowed by the slope of the path in the cave as it rose steeply upwards with every step they took as well as the rocky but loose terrain of the paths and areas in the cave. By the time the sun had lowered, the cave had become totally invisible and the two began to use their flashlights to proceed, but their exhaustion caught up with them, and they decided to stop and take a break for the day near a small, flat area to the left of the main path in the cave next to a pool of water.

"Ooo, water!" Dawn excitedly said as she walked toward the pool.

"I wouldn't drink from that," Lucas warned as he grabbed her hand before she went too far.

"Why not?"

"Water in caves is usually a chemically altered version of rainwater deposits, or even worse, it's still-water, which means that microbes have infested it. I did bring some bottled water, though."

"Oh, thank you," she said, reaching for the bottle he handed her from his bag.

"Do you want to set up camp here?"

"Yeah, it's rocky everywhere else, but it's kinda smooth and flat here. I like it. DO you want me to help you set up the tent?"

"No, I got it, thank you," he kindly said as he tossed her the porta-box for the firewood, "but can you start the fire?"

"How? We don't have anything to set the wood on fire."

"We have Hazel and Prometheus, right?" he said as he released Prometheus from his Pokeball. The flame on the Chameleon's tail began to light up the area in a warmer glow than the bright, LED flashlights they used, so Lucas promptly switched his off and Dawn followed suit. Dawn released Hazel and the two Pokemon helped her ignite the wood while Lucas used another porta-box to set up his own tent.

"Is it okay if I change inside while you start cooking?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, go ahead," Lucas smiled back as he pulled out the steel tray he had stowed to help reheat the leftovers they had. Lucas and Dawn switched places a few minutes later, and Lucas set up the sleeping bags inside the tent while he was inside before he returned outside to finish his share of the leftovers.

They decided to put out the fire after they finished and retired to the tent where Lucas, as usual, plopped down and slipped into his sleeping bag before Dawn blinked. They decided to release both Hazel and Prometheus in side the tent since their tails provided a small, but warm and safe fire for them. Dawn, meanwhile, packed all of her things into her bag again before laying down next to him in hers.

"I guess we can't watch a movie tonight, huh?" Lucas smiled at her.

"No, I guess not, but you can answer my questions."

"Questions?"

"I've spent some, well a lot, of time with you, and I've got some burning questions for you, but I never get to ask them."

"Um…" Lucas said, hating the lack of knowledge he had about what was coming. "Yeah, sure. Ask away," he cautiously agreed.

"First thing's first," Dawn began immediately, "In that gym battle with Roark, you sent out Prometheus and Galahad first when you could have sent out Caesar instead: how come?"

"Seriously, that's your burning question?" Lucas smugly said.

" _Anyone_ who watched that would have that question, Lucas. I mean, you kinda purposefully put yourself at a disadvantage there, even though you _did_ end up winning that battle."

"Honest truth, I didn't know what a gym battle would be like. I knew that leaders like to keep their final Pokemon in the back like a hidden trump card and then use it at the end, and I didn't want to have to be down to a Pokemon that was weak against rock types to defeat that trump card. So I decided to send out Galahad and Prometheus first so that if I had to make a strong last stand, I could do it with a Pokemon that would be effective against that final Pokemon. I guess that first battle was a lot easier than I thought, so I just ended up looking like an idiot," he glumly finished.

"No wait, I didn't mean it like that. I was just… curious, that's all," Dawn quickly followed, her induced guilt clearly showing in her voice.

"That's alright, I know. Next question."

"Have you ever dated someone?"

"Wait what?"

"I-I'm sorry if I was too u-up front about it. Seriously, you don't have to answer that one." _Are you crazy Dawn?! Now he'll think you're a creep…_

"No no, it's fine. Well, it _was_ a little on the nose, but I'll answer it if you do too."

 _Clever boy._ "Deal."

"I guess I go first, then," he said. He took a deep breath in, "No. Well, I mean I've tried but always struck out…"

 _What kind of idiot would turn you down?_ Dawn pityingly thought.

"But the last time I tried was way back in tenth grade, almost three years ago, really. But that's all there is to me: I don't try often, but the few times I did, I struck out. How about you?"

"I'm usually the one that strikes other people out."

"Oh. You're lucky."

"No, not really. I mean, it's not easy for me to turn someone down, and it's not like I'll finally end up dating someone by continually handing out rejections, but I can't settle for just _anyone_ … The thing about turning someone down is that it's just as hard as being rejected, if you think about it."

"Explain," Lucas curiously said.

"Well, you've been turned down, and I've turned several boys down, but are our outcomes any different? We've both still never dated anyone, right?"

"Good point."

"Thank you."

Some contemplative silence followed before Lucas spoke again. "So you said you turned boys down because it couldn't just be _anyone_ , so who would be your special someone?"

"Like, criteria?"

"If you can call it that, yeah."

"Quid pro quo?"

"Fine, quid pro quo. You go first this time."

"Well…" she dreamily sighed, "I like taller boys, like the ones who are just a bit taller than me. I like hazel eyes, like yours, actually. And I also like darker hair, like yours. But that's just stuff on the outside. I think I just really want someone that I can laugh with, cry with, and then snuggle up next to at night. Someone I can trust," she said, implicitly pointing to Lucas with each criterion. "Your turn."

"For me, it's those piercing blue eyes that always get me. They're just so… I can't explain it. They're just that kind of pretty. I don't care much for hair color, I guess, but I think I like black best. But I think personality's the most important thing, too. I hate girls who are rigid and fake all the time just to get attention and sympathy, like Lucille and Valerie. I mean, you have to be passionate about _something_ , right? And it can be a quirky or funny thing, too, but you have to be real about it and share how happy that thing makes you. If you're genuine about how you feel and you really believe what you say, then I guess you're the best person any man could ask for."

"Hm," Dawn said, focusing fully on processing what she'd just heard. "I hope you find someone worth your while soon. You really are a good person."

"Thank you. I hope you find someone before our journey ends, too."

Some more contemplative silence ensued. "Well," Dawn said as she yawned, "I think I'll be going to sleep now."

"Yeah, me too."

"Nope. You have to tell me a story."

" _How_ do you manage to never forget that?"

"Habit," Dawn laughed.

"Alright," he sighed, "Have you ever heard of George and the Dragon?"

"Uh, no."

"It's an old Galar-region myth. It's a damsel-in-distress story."

"What's with you and damsel-in-distress stories," Dawn playfully laughed.

"Hey, I didn't write them. I'm just retelling them," Lucas replied.

The two shifted their sleeping bags closer together with small, subtle adjustments while Lucas completed his story, and by the time they finished, a few millimeters of sleeping bag lining were all that separated them from each other. They stared into each other's face with a pleasant smile as the light from the Pokemon's tails flickered and sparkled in each other's countenance. He placed his hand on her cheek as pulled closer, their foreheads touching, and they soon drifted off to sleep.


	15. Chapter 15: Mission to Mars

Chapter 15: Mission to Mars

Lucas awoke before Dawn did, but it wasn't like he was going to go anywhere. He was too afraid to move from his sleeping bag, afraid that the minimal audio stimulus from him sliding would wake her up. Or at least that was what he told himself as he gazed upon Dawn's peaceful, sleeping face.

It was peaceful and sleeping until she moved slowly, waking up as she'd had her share of a good rest. "O-oh hey. Good morning, Dawn."

"Hey," she groggily smiled, "you're awake already?" she said as she rubbed her eyes, yawning afterward.

"Yeah, I'm awake. Did you sleep well?'

"I did. Better than I ever have before, I think. Who knew: cave floors make for comfortable mattresses," she laughed. "What're you looking at?" she smiled at him, trying to follow his line of sight that looked directly into her.

"I, uh, was looking at Hazel and Prometheus behind you," he quickly replied.

"What about them?" Dawn asked, puzzled about what made him so transfixed in his focus.

"Nothing, it's just that they look so warm and happy all cuddled up like that, right? I mean, look at the fires on their tails too: they're smooth and flowing instead of flashing and sparking as usual. It kind of makes you wish you had somebody to cuddle up next to when you went to bed, right?"

"Yeah, it kinda does," Dawn dreamily sighed as she thought of sliding next to Lucas in his sleeping bag before ramming that train of thought into a brick wall before it went too far. "We should get going to Floaroma, right?"

"We should. It's…" he said as he glanced at his watch, "8:00 in the morning. So we should be there by lunchtime."

"Alright, then. Let's get to work," Dawn said, stretching as she got up. They packed all of their things, made a quick breakfast, and began walking through the cave to reach the edge in about an hour. Zubats and Geodudes bothered them occasionally, but when Lucas held up Caesar's Pokeball and Dawn held Margaret's they all quickly backed off and let the two trainers be.

They got out of the cave only to do a little more climbing up a few flights of stairs built into a hillside and some trekking across grass when the terrain leveled out considerably, and ahead, a large wooden gate with flower designs and laden in creeper vines that sprouted varieties of beautiful flora stood before them. Behind the gate, people flowed between fields and fields of hundreds of flowers and colorful crop while others were cheerfully taking pictures and walking the streets between massive estates and single-floor edifices that spanned the area where the flowers weren't planted. But even on the man-made structures, flowers, and colors adorned every edge and surface giving the whole town a cheery, vibrant glow. The land had a small hill in the center with a separate pattern of flowers and trees that had been carefully cultivated and grown there around a center object that wasn't clear from the edge of the two, and to the east end of the town a beautiful path led to energy facilities and massive wind turbines that were hooked into various corporate buildings and energy facilities that seemed to provide both the finance, industrial, and energy services for the town, but away from the scenic prettiness that characterized it. The wind blew ever so slightly over the fields as the flowers and the stems that held them undulated in the soothing passing of the air, creating a rolling sea of vibrant color and soothing fragrance.

"You weren't exaggerating when you said this place was beautiful," Dawn said as the scenery filled her eyes. "Its all so happy, so colorful!" she exuberantly glowed at Lucas "Look! A Cutiefly!" She pointed at a small but quickly moving insectoid Pokemon with a round body, long legs, and cute, large eyes that was buzzing away around them to the various flowers. "And look over there! A Combee hive! There are so many Pokemon here!"

Lucas merely smiled as he watched her bounce with joy and excitement at the life of the town, something that contrasted much of the cold and snowy condition of the rest of Sinnoh. "I don't get it," she asked during a pause in her awe, "Everywhere else in Sinnoh is going through winter right now, right? I mean, we saw icebergs in Canalave Bay from Poketch Tower. But over here, it's like spring is already here. People are walking around in shorts and T-shirts for crying out loud!" she remarked, noticing the stark difference in the demeanor and vibrancy of the town.

"This actually used to be a hill with infertile and cold soil, but legends say that a Shaymin came and blessed the lands, and then they bloomed all kinds of flowers and plants that not only became crops for Sinnoh but also some habitats for so many Pokemon that live here. You see that statue-looking thing over there?" he said, gesturing to the object on the hill in the center of the concentric flower patters, "That's actually a small shrine they have here for the Shaymin that come here every spring to keep the flowers and Pokemon healthy and blooming all year round."

"You're like a human Pokedex," Dawn laughed.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It was one. I like that you know a lot about everything," she smiled as the two entered the town, gazing upon the splendor and wonder of everything around them as they waded in the sea of flowers that reached up to their knees. They immediately went to the Pokemon center, which, unlike the other ones they'd been to so far, had been adorned with flowers and scented fully with their fragrance both inside and out, giving it a more hospitable and relaxing feel than the rest. They made a quick eat with their lunch before routinely registering and heading upstairs to their room. There were bunk beds, as usual, in a corner of the room along with other necessary amenities. Lucas and Dawn flung their items in opposite corners of the room before sitting beside each other on the bottom bunk. Lucas flopped backward, laying on the cool mattress, and Dawn soon followed, breathing a sigh of relief now that nearly a day's worth of walking, trekking, and hiking was over.

"Well, what's next, now that we're here," Lucas asked as he stared up into the bottom of the top bunk above him.

"I have my contest coming up soon. You… want to help me train again?"

"You bet I do. If you don't win that ribbon, the contests are rigged, goddammit!" he said with mock zeal. "But seriously, I'll help you, Dawn. Don't worry about it."

"Thank you, Lucas. If I win tomorrow and maybe even if I become the Top Coordinator down the line, I know I'll owe a lot to you."

"Feeling's mutual, Dawn…" he happily said, imagining a pleasant future where he, Barry, Dawn, and Alyssa stood at the top of their trades. "How about we start working on your performance right now?"

"Like… _right_ now?"

"Yeah, I mean unless you want to rest for a while…"

"No, it's fine. But I'm not exactly sure where we can actually practice for the contest. I don't want to set all of these pretty flowers on fire with Hazel and Prometheus, you know."

"There's a place by the Valley Windworks energy processing facility that is just flat and open enough for us to have ourselves a nice battle."

"Are you sure? I have a bad feeling that one of our Pokemon is going to fire off an attack in the direction of the energy plant, and then we'd be in a lot of trouble."

"Trust me, it's a pretty open area, so nobody's going to care what we do there. Their nearest buildings are a quarter mile away, so I don't think any of our Pokemon will cause any _real_ damage, okay?"

"Okay, let's go," she smiled back at him.

It wasn't much of a long walk they were supposed to make from the Pokemon Center to the desired destination. They walked directly South from the Pokemon Center into the central junction of the town, from which they could see the residential area, the millions of flowers lacing and flooding the street shops and buildings, wide avenues, pedestrians, and to their left a wide path that lead to a massive set of windmills colored in a pale white that matched the cloudy and snowy mountain background behind them. A strong river coursed between two banks of the town's exteriors. The left bank of the river was connected by a bridge to the right bank, the latter of which led straight to Valley Windworks and then a clearing while the former led into a narrow, multi-terrained Route 205, complete with bridges, inclines, the river water, and a mountainous background lined with caves near its rear. Distinguishing the Valley Windworks energy facility's windmills would have been impossible for the eye due to its camouflage had it not been for the giant gray buildings that contrasted the white bases and stalks of those windmills. From where they were, about a half a mile away, they could see that it had only a few stories and was designed and built much later compared to the classical and antiquated houses and fields that otherwise populated the Floaroma region.

"I have to ask you something, Lucas," Dawn began, "What do you say we head out to lunch together?"

"Don't we always eat together anyway?" he quizzically asked.

"No," Dawn smiled at him before looking down for a moment, not finding it in herself to continually make eye contact with him without blushing, "I mean, like, let's go somewhere nice. Just the two of us for a while."

"You mean like a da—" he paused as he moved his to see a small figure out of his peripheral vision.

 _Oh, just SAY the word, Lucas! 'Date'!_ Dawn anxiously thought.

"Is that a little girl?" he said, subtly gesturing at a girl, no more than four or five, who paced back and forth on the path anxiously with nobody near her, most likely alone. "She doesn't look good," he muttered to Dawn, "we have to go see what's up."

"But we don't even know who she is. She might be afraid of us."

"Look at how she's pacing. And the poor thing has her hands all clasped up and tight. I think we should go talk to her, maybe find out if she's lost her way or something."

"You're right," Dawn nodded, "I hope she's alright," she said, noting the distressed characteristics of the little girl as her little orange dress swayed in the wind.

They'd walk several yards further when the faint sniffling of crying could be heard, and at that point, Lucas had begun bolting at full tilt, leaving Dawn to trail after him. He slowed down at a distance from the girl, however, trying to seem more approachable. "Hey there," he gently waived, kneeling a little bit in order not to spook her with his 6-foot frame, "Is something wrong?" The girl stayed quiet, sniffling lightly as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Seeing as she wouldn't easily open up to him, he turned to look at Dawn, gesturing his head in the girl's direction as if to say "you take this one."

"Hey, don't cry," Dawn softly said, gently patting the little girl. "We're not going to hurt you. You can trust us, and we can try to help you. Just tell us what's wrong, and we'll do our best to do something, okay," she said with a soothing, reassuring tone to the frightened child. She knelt down next to the girl: "What's your name?"

"Ana," the girl timidly replied.

"Hi, Ana, I'm Dawn," she said, extending her hand which the girl lightly shook. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong? Are you lost?"

"No, I'm not lost, b-but some mean people in spacesuits took away my Papa!"

"What did these people, uh, look like? Did they have weird colored hair?" Lucas asked her, worried that she may be describing exactly who he thought she was.

"Mhm. They were very mean to me and my Papa. They locked the door of the Valley Windworks place after they kicked me out, but my Papa is still inside! I don't know what they're doing to him…" she slowly said, beginning to sob again until Dawn patted her and stroked her hair, comforting the tense little girl.

"Dawn, I'm sorry, but you and I both know who's inside that building: we have to go help this little girl," Lucas said with a slightly apologetic tone.

"Why are you sorry for that? You know that I want to do the same thing, right? I mean, what's practicing for my contest mean when we knew that Team Galactic is behind there, uh, being mean to her dad," she hesitantly finished, trying not to reveal the painful realities of evil to a 5-year-old.

Dawn reached into her bag and pulled out a candy bar to hand the little girl, who, despite her emotional pain, eyed at it excitedly and attentively. Once she'd noticed that Dawn was slowly handing it to her, she reached out and yanked it, happily peeling away at the wrapper, looking to see the sweet, dark, substance underneath. "Now, because you're a good, brave little girl, you get to have this candy bar. If you wait _just_ a bit longer, we'll back with your Papa and another candy bar, and you can tell your Papa all about how brave you were and how you were able to wait for him like a grown-up, okay?" The girl nodded. "I promise we'll be back soon, bye," she smiled at the little girl, who smiled and waved back while she took a small nibble out of chocolate.

"Into Valley Windworks?" Lucas asked Dawn.

"Yep, in we go," she responded, and the two began racing down the path, heading straight for Valley Windworks. As they approached the massive building with all of its windmills and constant buzzing that came from the electric generators, Lucas noticed something weird about the facility. Not only was there a Galactic grunt manning the front entrance, but almost all security personnel of the facility were not present.

"Do you want to take him?" Lucas asked Dawn.

"Yeah, I think it'll be good practice for my contest battles, right?" she smiled as they approached the grunt at the entrance.

The grunt, who seemed to have been surprised that someone would even dare approach the building, quickly stood from his slouched stance. "Orders say no outsiders allowed. Leave, or we'll use your blood to run these generators instead of water."

"I don't think you know how a generator works or how to make a convincing threat," Dawn smirked.

"Fuck off, scumbags, because even if you get to beat me in a battle, do you think we're just going to let you prissy prancers in?"

"Yes, that's exactly what we think."

"Idiots! Alright, Glameow! Cut 'em the fuck up!" the grunt roared.

Dawn threw out Hazel's Pokeball in response. "Let's start this off with Fury Swipes!" Hazel quickly reacted, both of her hands glowed an intense white as she lunged at Glameow with them raised.

"Glameow, use Scratch to counter!" the grunt ordered, and the little cat raised one of its paws, which glowed just as Hazel's hands did as it sunk its knees, preparing catch Hazel mid-air. Both Pokemon collided, with Hazel rapidly slashing at Glameow's face four times while Glameow got an effective hit on Hazel's abdomen. The two enraged Pokemon fell back on the ground, although Hazel fell on her back and struggled a bit to get back up while Glameow gracefully landed on its fours.

"Finish it, Hazel, use Ember!" Dawn said, her patience withering away.

"Counter with—" he didn't even get to finish his sentence as Hazel fired away her characteristic attack, leaving the Catty Pokemon smoking and fainted on the soft, grassy path. "Doesn't matter!" the grunt spat, recalling his Pokemon, "you don't have the Works Key, so you can stay the fuck out of our business."

He quickly turned to run for the door, but Lucas was a step ahead. "Galahad," he said as he released his Staravia from its Pokeball, "Keep him from opening that door!" Galahad blasted towards the grunt, intercepting his escape trajectory and knocking him backward with a weak Wing Attack. The grunt seemed to pay no attention, focused wholly on his escape, and quickly got up, limping to the door when Lucas caught up with him, bringing them both to the ground with a tackle. "We could have settled this peacefully. We still can, if you just tell us where we can find a key."

"Argh," the grunt spat as he writhed while Lucas tried to push his neck into the ground. The two violently thrashed a little longer until Lucas was able to sneak a punch into his gut, and the grunt was momentarily incapacitated. Lucas quickly pinned him down, pulling the grunt's arms back and pressing his face into the dirt.

"Dawn," Lucas said, turning to her while he put his whole self into holding squirming spacesuit underneath him still, "I'm sure he has a copy of the key on him. I'll keep him still, and you go ahead and pat him down."

"I wouldn't mind that," the grunt smirked with the half of his face that wasn't on the verge of becoming subterranean.

"On second thought, I'll try to do it myself," Lucas said, slamming his elbow into the grunt's spine, hoping the pain would keep him from moving long enough for him to find the key in one of his pockets. "Got it!" he said, standing up while keeping his foot on the grunts neck, still pressing him into the ground while he raised his hand with a card. "We'll just have to slide this card through that reader over there, and we should have access," he told Dawn.

"But what about him?" Dawn asked, looking at the grunt on the floor.

"There's nothing he can do. Galactic already knows about us, and he can't warn anybody inside. The nearest Pokemon center is a while away, and it'll be too long before he heals his Pokemon and comes back."

"So… we just leave him here?"

"We don't have much of a choice," he said as the two walked to the door of the facility. "Alright, Dawn. Behind this door, there are Arceus knows how many grunts, but we can't just go ham, in case we hurt that poor girl's parents. Our primary objective is to get in, get that girl's father, and get out, got it?" Dawn nodded affirmatively. "If we can, we'll try to find out what Galactic is up to here, but I wouldn't count on it. I'm not exactly ready to torture anyone, and even the little guys don't look like they'll talk," he said, looking at the grunt on the floor. Dawn silently nodded again. "Do you want to heal Hazel? She'll need everything she's got inside."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Dawn softly agreed, and after a few moments healing their teams, Lucas slid the card through the reader and kicked the door open.

Lucas and Dawn immediately released Hazel and Caesar as they entered, with Lucas and his Prinplup quickly stepping out in front of Dawn and Hazel, ready to take any attacks that would come their way first.

Once they'd entered, they saw that the entire corridor that formed an entrance lobby of sorts was deserted, but there was a way on the far left end of the corridor that seemed to lead deeper into the building. The interior was well lit, giving Lucas relief that the grunts were most likely not hiding nearby them and were probably just stationed further in. The two quickly exited the corridor and into the way that led into the interior, noticing that the way only had another opening to the right, placing them right behind the entrance corridor.

They were about to make a turn into a room full of several humming machines exuding green light and energy when a patrol grunt suddenly moved out of a corner, startling Dawn and bring Lucas' pounding shoes to a screeching halt. The grunt switched on a communications device of some sort, speaking hastily while removing a Pokeball from his belt. "All ground-level grunts, we have an intruder, main building corridors," he spoke into the device. "You two will never make it out of here alive. At any moment, grunts will pop up from every corner."

"Then I guess we'll dispose of you and have one less problem," Lucas replied.

Lucas could hear footsteps getting closer when the grunt sent out his Zubat. "Supersonic on the Chimcrap!" the grunt called out. The Zubat threw its head back to fire off an attack, but Lucas and Dawn had already made their move by then.

"Caesar, Bubble!"

"Hazel, roll the side and cover your ears!" Hazel seemed quickly moved out of the focused area of the Zubat's attack, but the screeching high-pitched sound that only Pokemon were sensitive bounced harmlessly off of her closed ears. In the meantime, Caesar had lined up his Bubble attack as a spread of bubbles, knowing that a wider spread of his attack would guarantee a hit.

"Zubat, get rid of the bubbles with Gust!" the grunt countered. The Zubat quickly moved to face Caesar's attack, flapping its wings vigorously and diverting the water-type attack in awry directions, with some of the attack floating back toward Caesar.

But while the grunt was busy dealing with avoiding Caesar, Hazel had moved in for the kill, and as Dawn ordered an Ember from close range, Hazel ran until she was directly underneath the eye-less bat Pokemon and unleashed a narrow stream of fire into its undersides, making it collapse into some of the fragments of Caesar's attack until it hid the ground, fainted.

But before Lucas and Dawn could proceed, five more grunts blocked their path, Pokeballs in hand. "Commander Mars promised us shiny coins for quashing you pricks, so you can let down now and make this easy for yourselves."

"Someone ready to hand out that big a reward will hand out equally big penalties when we say hello to her, don't you think?" Dawn shot back. The tension between the two groups immediately snapped as Dawn and Lucas released all of their Pokemon while the five remaining grunts released theirs. A force three Stunkys and 2 Glameows stood opposed to Hazel, Margaret, Caesar, Galahad, and Prometheus, while the defeated grunt decided to charge Lucas himself.

"Alright you three, we've been through this drill a few times now. I'm gonna be a little—" he paused as ducked under the grunt's punch, "—occupied, so you're going to have to listen to Dawn for now," Lucas ordered, knowing that he wasn't mentally capable of dealing with the grunts all at once.

Dawn quickly took control of the battle once Lucas gave her charge, calling shots and giving instructions to the five Pokemon on her side. "Hazel, Prometheus: you two start firing at Glameows. Caesar, Margaret, attack the Stunkys together. Galahad, help Caesar and Margaret from the sky, but stay away from the Glameows." Hazel and Prometheus began shooting Embers rapidly at the two Glameows, who responded by dodging from side to side with breathtaking agility, all while leaping closer and closer to Prometheus and Hazel with white claws primed for a Scratch attack. Margaret fired off Confusion attacks at a Stunky, dazing and slowing it compared to the other two. Singling out the struggling Pokemon, Galahad swooped in with a Wing Attack, throwing the Pokemon across the corridor and into some energy equipment with green lights and screens placed in various locations. Caesar focused on keeping another Stunky at bay with a series of Bubble attacks that continually forced it into a wall.

The Stunky, with difficulty, weathered Caesar's onslaught, releasing Toxic Gas onto Caesar, Margaret, and Galahad, even bringing Galahad out of the air temporarily with its nauseous effects.

Just a few yards away, Lucas was brawling it out with another grunt. "Master Cyrus and Commander Mars will spare you if you just yield. Team Galactic knows what's best for the world, and we will develop our brighter future by any means necessary," the grunt hissed as he placed Lucas in a chokehold. Lucas drove his elbow into the grunt's lower abdomen, causing him to release as both spat and sputtered, heaving for air.

"Any means necessary? You act like you've tried other means, but you used nothing but brute force."

"The world is too stupid to share our vision. We need to force them into them to do the right thing!" the grunt said in between his coughs.

"Tell me," Lucas said going hand to hand with the grunt again, this time with more anger behind his hits, "What does this… Master Cyrus want?"

"A brighter future for all of his loyal followers," the grunt said, almost as though he was in a hypnotic, entranced state of paradise as he envisioned his future.

"What's in his 'bright future'?" Lucas asked, landing a kick on the back of the grunt's knee, forcing him to kneel on to the ground. The grunt became suddenly silent before confusedly muttering something.

"I-I… he told us…"

"Something to think about while you're knocked out," Lucas finished as he spun around with his leg extended, bringing his foot crashing into the grunt's head, promptly slamming him cold into the floor.

Lucas quickly turned to Dawn and his team, hoping he wasn't too late to help her finish the fight, but his hope was of no use. Caesar and Margaret lay fainted on the floor next to two Stunkys, while Galahad lay not too far from them with the Scratch marks of a Glameow that lay fainted next to him. Prometheus was coughing heavily, clearly poisoned by a Poison-type attack as he too fainted, leaving Hazel alone to fight a Stunky and a Glameow.

Seeing Lucas finally next to her, Dawn seemed to let guilt cave her in for the first time. "L-Lucas I'm sorry. I—"

"Don't be. You just need to focus on finishing this off," he straightforwardly said. "You can do this."

Dawn's hands shook slightly as the opposing grunts quickly recollected, sending their final two Pokemon against her. The Glameow came in with its front paws blazing white while the Stunky with a purple, gurgling acid building up inside its mouth.

But a blinding, shiny light ceased both attacks right in their tracks, stunning both the Stunky and Glameow. Hazel was now enveloped in a sphere of bluish-white light that Lucas was familiar with at this point. Dawn's smile became as bright as the light exuding from Hazel before it dissipated, leaving a new Pokemon, a new Hazel, where the little Chimchar once stood. Her eyebrows now became a blue patch that made it look like it had a protective mask, her tail flame became longer and bolder, her arms grew longer, and her form seemed more energetic but poised than before while retaining the same colors.

She bellowed out in fury, bearing her new weapons, lowering herself into a pouncing position, huffing fire with each breath. "She learned a new attack," Lucas said, quickly glancing from his Pokedex, "it's Flame Wheel."

"Let's try it out then! Alright Hazel, use Flame Wheel!" Dawn called out, and Hazel released a torrent of flames, what would have been called a collection of several of her previous Ember attacks, that circled each other until they became a discus of fiery current that slammed into both Glameow and Stunky, overpowering them and leaving the enduring Stunky with a burn to which it immediately succumbed.

The five remaining grunts recalled their Pokemon, as did Lucas and Dawn, but the grunts didn't see to be ready to part ways. "Dawn, heal the Pokemon. Now. I'll take care of these five."

"But—" she began to protest.

"Just go. Trust me." Dawn quickly took cover behind one of the several energy extraction and processing machines in the room, removing the necessary Pokemon healing materials from her bag and loading them into the Pokeballs as fast as she could.

"Alright, we beat you fairly. Now move aside," Lucas ordered the five conscious grunts.

"Never. You may have beaten us with your Pokemon, but I'd like to hear you scream when all five them of descending on you," one of the grunts smirked.

"Yeah, he said something like that, too, but look how he ended up," Lucas said, pointing to the unconscious grunt. "Five times zero is still zero, so if defeated him, I don't think you guys will make too much of a difference."

"Come here you son of a—" a grunt began to scream, pressing his feet to lunge at Lucas.

"That's enough," a commanding, female voice echoed from deep inside the area the grunts were guarding. A woman, not much older than Lucas or Dawn, walked out of the tunnel with her hands to her side, marching forth powerfully. Her hair was a strong, vibrant red and was tied in a bun, and she donned a black and white Galactic spacesuit, but one that was clearly more distinguished than the grunt's clothing the signature Galactic insignia deeply inscribed into her suit. Behind her, a small, bent man with strange purple hair and lab coat stood behind her. "You held your ground and stalled the intruders, at a _heavy_ cost. I suppose some thanks and rewards are in order?" she lauded her grunts, although Lucas found her demeanor and kindness somewhat unsettling.

"Yes ma'am," a grunt almost smugly said, earning nods and smiles from all of the others.

"Good. I've got some gifts for you all," she said, reaching for her waist. Lucas' eyes widened with anticipatory realization as she pulled out a loaded pistol. All five grunts dropped to the floor, dead. Dawn staggered back, aghast, as another grunt from behind the ruthless Commander began to remove the bodies from the floor. "I'm Commander Mars, of Team Galactic. I take it you're Lucas and Dawn?" Lucas and Dawn stayed dead silent with horror as she continued. "I'll assume your silence is a yes. Now I'm sure you have plenty of questions: I'll answer them," she said with a coldly disciplined tone, something resembling an extremely articulate psychopath. Perhaps the most unsettling thing about her demeanor was that she _wasn't_ crazy or unstable: she maintained formality.

"Why'd you kill them?" Lucas plainly asked.

"Wouldn't you? I only did what nature does every day: kill the weak, the incapable, to produce more effective units. It's the way things should be, but we let pathetic emotions get in the way. We feel _sorry_ for these meaningless ruts, and we let them live. I've just purified humanity, removed worthless imbeciles from the population."

"You could purify it a little more by turning that gun on yourself."

"I _could_ purify it more by turning it on you, Lucas. Right now. I could just… pull this little trigger," she said, turning the gun's barrel towards his head. Dawn's heart raced but Lucas didn't seem to care much for her theatrics. "But I won't kill you." She lowered the gun.

"Pray tell, why?"

"It would be too… sudden. You've caused us, Team Galactic, a lot of trouble, but I know there are debts to be paid beyond that, personal ones. I can't just kill you here and end your due suffering. I _will_ kill you, eventually, but… I need to see you in a cell first, somewhere where I can toy with those futile feelings of yours, reveal the reality of Galactic's vision and how pathetic you really are."

"I fully intend on continuing to fuck up Team Galactic's operations, make no mistake, but I'm sure I personally owe _you_ shit."

"Oh, but you're most incorrect on that. I'll refresh your memory. I'm sure you've met my sister before. Valerie, do you recall the name?" she asked, her tone becoming increasingly but subtly hostile.

"Yes, I remember her," he coldly replied.

"She's my sister and you broke her heart. How does it feel to hurt innocents, Lucas? She never hurt you, never bothered, only asked for your affection. But you're a twat, and you spurned her pour soul," she accused, increasing in volume and temper as though she'd attack Lucas at any moment. Dawn stood entirely confused, not unable to understand the intense exchange of material and simply trying to wrap her head around the matter.

"I played her for what she is: a fool. I'd do it all over again."

"I have to wonder, why? Is she not good enough for you? She's as beautiful as the flowers in this town. She has money. She has power. You should have been humbled in her presence."

"Her skull and is about as thick as her wallet, and her skin is as thin as her checks that she carelessly writes off, too. I wasn't humbled in her presence, but I was grateful that I wasn't born with the cognitive deficiencies that she has. Besides, I'd already had my heart set on someone else, and I'm not fickle enough to change it when a pretty rich girl walks by."

"Someone else? Is it her?" she said, pointing her gun at Dawn's head this time. Lucas was careful not to make any reaction at her hostile gestures. "Hm. You're lucky, girl," she said to Dawn, "if he gave me the slightest hint that he cared, I would have shot you."

"Look, your bloody personal issues are your own, even if they involve me. You're going to have to leave this facility and the people you've detained here, or you'll end up no different than the grunts on the floor."

"Bold words from somebody on the verge of death. But I'll grant you your wish: a Pokemon battle. If I win, I take you, prisoner. If you win, we leave. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal."

"L-Lucas are you sure abou—" Dawn began before she as cut off.

"I'm sorry Dawn, but I need you to stay out of this, this is my fight." Dawn had an expression of protest, but she silently stepped aside, leaving him and Mars to face each other off. Mars tossed out a Purugly and a Zubat, smirking, while Lucas released Prometheus and Caesar.

"Caesar, use Bubblebeam on that Purugly. Prometheus: Smokescreen on that Zubat. I don't want it getting off any Supersonics on either of you two," Lucas started.

"Counter that Smokescreen with Gust, Zubat. Purugly, Feint Attack on the Charmeleon!" Mars quickly countered. As soon as she finished her sentence, all four Pokemon leaped to work, flying, slashing, splashing, and battling the close quarters as shrapnel and pieces from the weak office ceilings and computer desktop frames were blown apart and flung by the explosive nature of their battle. The Purugly surrounded its plump body with dark, hideous energy with which it charged towards Prometheus, who was now taller and faster, ready to avoid the incoming strike, but was not nearly fast enough to simply run away. The cat pounced on top of the Torch Pokemon, tackling Prometheus and swiping across his face with his dark paw: the Feint Attack landed successfully and Prometheus had a gash lines across his face where the powerful hit struck him.

But as Purugly raised his other paw to strike Prometheus again, a jet of bubbles threw him off into a nearby machine, and the hissing sounds of electricity and water could be heard as Purugly lay shaken in the debris around it. Having his assailant thrown off of him, Prometheus quickly got up, jetting a torrent of thick, acrid smoke at the Zubat in the air. Instead of letting his attack out as a screen or bomb, as was traditionally done of fire types, Prometheus instead pelted the Zubat with pellets of smoke and debris instead, forcing the avian creature to continually maneuvered and deflect shots with heavy Gust attacks. Although they missed for the most part due to effective defending and deflection from the Zubat, pellets from the attack eventually irritated the Zubat's mouth and coated its wings, bringing it down to the ground with irritation and pain although it was not taking any real damage from the attack.

"Interesting. I now see why you defeated my underlings, but I assure you, I'm nothing like them," Mars mocked, gearing for the second round of attacks. "Purugly, get yourself back together! Combination attack on the Charmeleon!"

 _A combination attack? What the hell is that supposed to mean?!_ Lucas worriedly thought, formulating a defensive plan to stall whatever she might be pressing forthwith. "Caesar, get near Prometheus and fire Bubblebeam at Zubat. Prometheus, you keep an Ember going on Purugly, but ready to switch targets when they attack!"

"You're taking worthless precautions, Lucas. This is the advantage of advanced strategizing," Mars smirked as her Pokemon flew into their respective positions and began attacking without a word or clue given to the opponents about what was coming. It wasn't until Purugly and Zubat were mere yards away from Prometheus and Caesar in their charge that Lucas realized what was about to happen. Zubat was charging up a Supersonic attack, facing Prometheus, while Purugly was trailing behind with its own Feint Attack, charged up in its entire body this time. Like flak guns on a cruiser, Prometheus and Caesar began rapid firing Embers and Bubblebeams with increased accuracy and frequency as Zubat and Purugly neared them, but it was too little too late.

Purugly took a hit from an Ember, but the attack was too weak to slow it down and it kept charging. Zubat took a hit from the force of the Bubblebeam attack, but having no damage from the round of attacks before, it was able to survive and endure the onslaught. "Prometheus, you have to get out of the way or they're going to double team you!" Lucas ordered, but Prometheus stood his ground, continually firing at the target with only seconds before they converged on him. "Prometheus! That's an ord—" He was cut short by a high pitched screech emanating from Zubat that shook Prometheus into a confused, raged trance and a dark slashes and collisions that sprang from Purugly slamming into Prometheus with the full force of its Feint Attack.

Prometheus regained his balance, but staggered before falling backward, cold. Lucas' fist tightened, irritated, but all Dawn could do was watch. He was right: this battle was his to fight. "You can surrender now and spare yourself the humiliation and pain for your Pokemon, Lucas," Mars mocked again. "I have no intentions to kill you. Yet."

"Well as benevolent as your intentions may be, I'm not inclined to comply with a terrorist organization, am I?" he responded. "Galahad, get 'em from above." The Staravia soared in the small office space, dodging the various obstacles and degree as its newly enlarged wingspan seemed to cover more space than was manageable inside the energy facility, but its greater size and increased experience also allowed to glide slowly and with dexterous agility instead of in rapid and irreversible vectors as it had done before. "Galahad, take Zubat out with Wing Attack. Hit him as many times as you need to. I. Want. It. Gone," Lucas growled, his center slowly shifting away from stability and morality as the battle lengthened.

"Fine, Purugly, keep the birdie from touching Zubat," Mars replied, rolling her eyes at Lucas' efforts.

"Caesar, Bubblebeam on that Purugly!" Lucas thundered, and Caesar immediately followed, cutting the cat off with a torrent of water and bubbles that once again pegged it into some machines. It struggled, trying to get up once more, and it shakily stood on its feet, defiantly looking at the Pokemon in front of it. Mars smiled cruelly as the Purugly continued to stare deeply and without expression at Caesar. Caesar's rage and motion up until then suddenly began to quell, and Dawn could see its eyelids struggling to stay open as it staggered, trying to fire off one more attack to finish off its opponent. "Lucas it's using Hypnosis! Caesar is gonna—" Caesar fell backward, asleep, but not before firing off half of a salvo of a Bubblebeam, bursting directly on target with the affixed Purugly. Both Pokemon lay motionless on the floor, but the steady motion of Caesar's laborious and heavy breathing indicated that he was still in the battle, though physically incapacitated in sleep.

"Zubat. Leech Life," Mars said with no tone whatsoever, and the small avian creature zipped towards the fallen Prinplup, fangs bared as it closed in on its target. Fearing the worst, Lucas called for Galahad to continually maintain Wing Attacks on Zubat, but the smaller Zubat was too quick. It quickly landed on Caesar, injecting its fangs and securing its supply of health that it sapped from the sleeping Prinplup. By the time it left Caesar, Caesar had reduced his breathing rate, and he didn't seem the same as before. He had fainted. Lucas quietly recalled both of his fallen Pokemon and turned his attention fully towards the Zubat as Galahad loomed above him.

Galahad seemed to have caught on to Lucas' repeated emphasis on vertical advantages in battle, and refused to attack Zubat when he approached Caesar at ground level, causing Lucas to lose Caesar, but Lucas and Galahad knew that it would yield greater victory in the long run. Galahad now flew near the height of the ceiling, nearly ten feet above the Zubat, where nearly any angle of attack would allow him to make direct and brutal contact with the target. He angled his wings, pulling sharply and diving steeply before he tucked his wings slightly back in again, gaining speed in the quick drop to its prey below. "Finish this off, Galahad! Pack up, Mars. It's all over," Lucas bellowed as Galahad continued his trajectory, wings glowing with power as he sliced through Zubat. Zubat flew across the room, slamming into a wall, dazed and then unconscious. Galahad perched triumphantly on one of the machines in the room, shifting and correcting the tattered and strayed state of his new plumage. "Tell us where you've kept the hostages, and we'll let you leave."

"We've got what we wanted: enough energy to short-circuit thousands of electric Pokemon. As for the people you're looking for, I've locked them up in the closet, and Arceus knows where I lost the fucking key. Oh well, not my problem."

"I'll make it your problem you—"

"Carter, blow it," she said, cutting him off. One of the grunts quickly escorted her and the bent man in purple hair behind a machine before pulling a device out of his pocket. That's when Lucas' eyes shifted to the wall next to him. In between all of the debris, machines, and cables placed up against the wall, he could a small block-like attachment with a counting digital clock: an explosive device. He recalled Galahad, subconsciously securing the Pokeball to his belt before diving over to Dawn as fast as he could.

"Dawn, get down!" he roared, throttling into her and attempting to move her behind a corner for cover as he shielded her with his body by having his back face the bomb, but it was too late. They were far enough from the explosion not to be knocked off of their feet, but the thunderous heat and shockwaves caused them to lose footing and crash into the ground, Lucas making sure he was still in between Dawn and the blast as he fell on top of her, hugging her into his chest.

Between the defeating bass of the blast and the scatter, splatter, and patter of rubble and brick, Lucas felt small pieces of metal and scaffolding shred across his skin like small pieces of shrapnel and grimaced momentarily every time they collided. But despite the disorienting chaos around him, he couldn't help but become transfixed by Dawn's sparkling blue eyes as they looked into his. She smiled weakly at him, still worried about the destruction around as he stood up carefully, pulling her up with him as she hung on his shoulder.

The dust settled in a few seconds, and Lucas was ready to confront Mars and her company again, but the room and adjoining corridors were clear. They'd escaped through the hole they created in the building. He peered outside the hole left by the explosion, but there seemed to be no trace of the criminals in his vision: they'd escaped undetected. "Dammit," he cursed, slamming his fist into the wall, knocking a few more loose pieces of bricks and fragments from the edge of the hole.

Turning slowly towards Dawn, who was standing cross-armed behind him, he looked apologizingly and spoke. "This is all my fault. Are you… okay?"

"I'm fine, Lucas, but are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your… your hand. It's…" she trailed, pointing to his crimson and purple sleeves as blood slowly seeped into the fibers of his blue and white jacket.

"It's just a small cut. We can take care of it later," he said, grimacing as he pulled his sleeve up to see several shards of wood and glass lodged into his arm. He pulled each one out slowly, letting out wails of pain with each tug, before curling his sleeve until it cut the blood to his arm. "We'll have to get this bandaged up soon, or I'm going to bleed out. And trust me, it is _not_ going to be fun lugging a 160-pound body to my mum," he chuckled. Dawn just seemed confused and slightly horrified by his dark wit, staring blankly at him. "Hey, hey, don't take it so seriously. I just like to joke about serious things sometimes," he smiled.

"What do we do now?" Dawn curiously asked. "We stopped Mars, but…"

"The girl's father. Right. She told us they're in the closet down that corridor."

"But she also destroyed the key, right? How are we going to get in?"

"We're going to improvise. With two fire type Pokemon."

A minute later, Hazel and Prometheus were firing continuous streams of Ember attacks at the door, with Hazel occasionally using her new Flame Charge Attack, to give it a hard, fiery push, until the door broke or the lock melted. Hazel smashed the door open on her third try and inside were four men, sitting against the wall, in deep thought. It was almost as if Lucas and Dawn had disturbed them on the verge of some intellectual discovery, although the weary expression on their faces clearly indicated pain.

"Gentlemen, my name is Lucas Drake. We've eliminated team Galactic from this area, so it's safe to come out now."

"Were you the guys who blew a bomb in the other room earlier?" one of the scientists asked.

"No, sir. They did it as a method to clear an immediate escape path. The lab and some machines have suffered extensive damage due to our battles and the detonation of their bomb, and I apologize for that, but we took every precaution to get here in time to rescue you. But there is a more important matter we'd like to solve: does anybody here have a daughter named Ana?"

One of the younger men quickly looked up with relief at Lucas standing up and walking to him in an instant. "Where is she? Is she alright? Did they hurt her? Did you see her?" he fired, his tone and worry rising with each sentence.

"She's, uh, fine," Dawn chimed in. "She's far from here, safe near the intersection between Route 205 and the path that leads here. We told her to stay there until you return to her so she wouldn't be caught in up in the fire of these criminals."

"I-I cannot thank you enough. I can hardly believe that you are merely teenagers, but as a scientist, I am not going to deny belief in what I see," he took a deep breath, "They worked us non-stop for hours. They said they wanted incredible amounts of energy and Pokemon for some sort of… project, something to do with the creation of a new universe. I know, I know, it's bizarre and truly unscientific. Nothing of creation can happen again except inside meaningless old myths and legends, but… I had no choice. They told me they'd blow this factory up if I did not cooperate, and they took my daughter… You don't understand how relieved I am to hear she is safe," he shakily said, tears welling in his eyes. "Thank you."

"We only did the right thing, sir. What anyone would do. But if you don't mind telling—argh!" Lucas roared, holding his arm as he staggered backward.

"Young man, you need first aid for that wound, immediately!" one of the scientists said as Dawn caught Lucas in her arms, putting her entire weight and force into holding him up as his speech began to slur and he felt dizzier.

Lucas could hear one of the scientists say something about "getting a first-aid kit from emergency storage" when smiled weakly at Dawn, "It's really hard to carry me, huh?" as he closed his eyes and let the darkness sooth his strained senses as he slipped into unconsciousness.


	16. Chapter 16: Total Control

**So this will be a relatively short chapter. It took me a long time to write because I knew that there would be no battles here, but hey, I gave it my best shot. This is definitely a different kind of chapter, and unlike the previous fifteen, this one really goes off-script from the game-plot here. Hope you like it, and as always, I can't thank you enough for your reviews: both critical and commending.**

Chapter 16: Total Control

There was black. Only black. Lucas fell forwards, lurching through the shadowy darkness, disoriented and fearful. He flailed his arms around, a vain attempt to catch something when flashes of light greeted his yearning eyes through the life-sucking blackness. A slash of pink light, and the outline of blue light piercing and bright but harmless on his eyes all the same.

Lucas couldn't speak. He knew he still had the ability, but the awe simply stalled the speech in his mouth. He continually fell, further and further until the void, until it suddenly fractured and dissipated, letting in clouds of bright, iridescent blue clouds with sparks and splashes of pink bleeding through in the moments that they collided or parted. The clouds began to circle each other faster and faster as they created a vortex around him, at the end of which there was a bright, white light that pulsed warmly. The flashes of blue grew brighter and brighter, drowning out the few appearances of pink until the vortex became a blue tunnel, through which Lucas continued to fall. He angled himself forwards, streamlining his body in his hope to fall faster but it didn't seem to make a difference: there was no air resistance or drag in this place. Yet he could breathe just fine.

 _Is this a dream? What the hell is going on?_ He leaned over to one side, stretching his arm as he tried to touch the vortex. He felt the smooth, cool touch of the blue clouds around him for only a moment before an intense wave of kinetic energy surged through him, and his outstretched hand contracted back into his chest as he was shot backward at tremendous velocity, colliding into the other side of the tunnel and shattering through it. He was now immersed in the blue clouds, which simply drowned him at this point. He flailed around helplessly as he tried to get himself back into some kind of control and balance, but in a place where there was no direction, no up, no down, no left or right, he simply could not regain any control. The clouds around him suddenly began to darken as they condensed, pushing him forcefully in a certain direction. Lucas formed an X with his arms, shielding his eyes as he hoped not to shatter into a million pieces as he rocketed through the clouds.

It was over. In an instant, he suddenly stopped moving, he didn't feel the inertia of halting, however. The clouds dissipated away, and he was in a room, a large room, one that clearly belonged to a family as the badly drawn crayon pictures on the fridge and children's toys and action figures on the floor came into view. _Where am I?_ He tried to turn his head to see more of the room, but he couldn't control its movement anymore. His motor skills were taken away, but his ability to sense things remained. He could move and feel, but they weren't his choices, they belonged to the person who really owned the body he was in. His thoughts remained the only thing he had domain over.

Lucas passively experienced his body get up off the couch, walk to the patio door that led into a pool and lawn, pass some more toys on the floor, and then walk past a shelf with pictures and plaques. The plaques were clearly awards given by the Sinnoh League, with their distinct seal on each of them. But Lucas' attention dwelled on the pictures. He could recognize everyone in them: Dawn, Barry, Alyssa, and himself in various places. In one Lucas and Dawn was carrying Dawn on the Sunnyshore beach, and in another, Dawn was on a stage, hoisting a massive cup high above a crowd. _Is this… the future? Did I time travel or am I just fantasizing?!_

Then he saw it in the large glass window before him: a reflection. Lucas stared into an image that he could never fail to recognize: his own. _I am way too self-aware to be just dreaming. Well, I'm not in control, so I'll just passively experience this first-person view of myself._ He let his own thoughts go numb, giving in to the senses and actions of his moving self, merging his conscious with that of his seemingly future self.

He placed his handle on the patio door when a voice he always loved to hear called him. "Lucas! Get upstairs quickly!" Dawn happily yelled from somewhere on another floor. "You won't believe it!" she excitedly followed. _I married DAWN?!_ Lucas excitedly thought with disbelief as he saw himself quickly turn from the door, run through the living room and bolting up the stairs, and take a sharp turn off the stairs and onto the right half of the second floor where he quickly continued running run past the doors to a few rooms before finally stopping behind the entrance to another room in the corridor, this one with cute pink borders and fluffy toys scattered all over the floor. an excited and anticipatory smile on his face.

There, in the middle of the spacious bedroom, was Dawn with tears of joy on her cheeks, playing with a little baby girl and patting her cheeks gently while she was talking to her. Lucas sat next to Dawn and opened his mouth to ask what happened when she immediately placed a finger over his lips, effectively silencing him as the two looked at the little girl, sitting and playing with an infectious smile on her face. Dawn picked her up and cradled her in her lap, and the baby almost immediately reached for Dawn's shiny smart-watch before Dawn pulled it out of reach, eliciting a soft chuckle from Lucas.

"Charlotte, say 'da-da'," Dawn said softly to the girl. There was no meaningful response, and the baby simply laughed and moved her hands in feet in slow but sporadic movements, try to grab and teeth on everything that she could wrap her tiny little digits on. "da-da," Dawn gently repeated, this time moving her mouth slowly for the baby to see. "Say 'da-da'," she gently said again.

"Da," the baby nonchalantly and almost involuntarily sounded before going back to finding things to teeth on in the next second.

"Yes! Yes! 'Da-da', Charlotte. Say 'da-da'," Dawn encouraged again with a smile that melted Lucas inside. _If this is a dream, I don't want it to end._

"Da-da," the little infant said, grabbing Dawn's watch this time with one of her hands before turning vigorously to land her other hand on it as well. Dawn's eyes were wet with tears now, ignoring the baby snatching the watch off of her wrist. Charlotte quickly rolled herself out of Dawn's lap by flailing and kicking before crawling away with her new prize.

Dawn quickly pushed herself into Lucas, hugging him tightly while Lucas returned a hug with one hand while scooping up Charlotte with another, pulling her close to himself and Dawn, as Dawn leaned into him, kissing him tenderly.

The peaceful scene suddenly faded away, however, and the blueish light slowly disintegrated both Dawn and the little baby into the clouds that swirled to form a tunnel again, leaving Lucas in his own body, but his thoughts behind in the reality he experienced. _I… I don't understand. What did I just see? It felt so… real. Dawn, the little baby, I could FEEL them. The baby's voice, the room, Dawn's lips… they were all—_

He couldn't finish his thought as the vortex slammed him into yet another vicarious experience. He was atop a mountain this time. Massive peaks of white marble that had eroded over time, like columns of a temple, jutted like from the flat mountaintop that he was standing on. The snow berated the mountain around them, but the air was too dry for any snow on the peak where he was, although the chill did make him shiver. A cool mist of sublimated ice began to wash over the mountain, causing him to shiver even more. The mountain had clearly been chiseled and carved into some sort of religious or astronomical man-made structure, as all of the tall but broken pillars showed, but it seemed as though there were no people there and the entire limestone and marble edifice had been abandoned to the primordial elements.

 _This is definitely a dream. I'm losing my damn mind._ He worriedly looked around him, hoping for some kind of indication of familiarity, something that would affirm whether he was dreaming or experiencing what he felt. Out of the mist, he could hear the cries, the thunderous calls of an unknown Pokemon. They were cries that undulated the entire mountaintop, causing some of the pillars and columns to shudder and release fragments of rubble that clinked and rocked on the vibrating floor while their roars rang out. The cries rang out through the air once more, a guttural production of noise that seemed to be able to flatten cities by their sheer energy.

Through the hazy mist over the mountain, Lucas could see the growing, glowing outlines of two Pokemon. Blue, shimmering and flowing lines flowed across the body of one of the Pokemon as its silhouette began to contrast the light color of the mist, a quadruped with an elongated neck and a half-fan structure on its back, a shining light blue and white stone in the center of its chest, a vertically extending crown-like protrusion off of its head, and red eyes that slashed through the mist.

Lucas just began to focus on this creature when another set of bright outlines, pink ones this time, began to flow and trace the shape of yet another massive Pokemon: bipedal with a long tail, hinge-less wings raised on its shoulders, arms with some kind of orb of bright pink light located on a shoulder, and an elongated neck similar to the other Pokemon's but without the protruding crown yet bearing the exact same piercing red eyes.

Lucas staggered, slowly taking steps from these massive beasts that outsized and outmatched his insignificant presence by many hundreds of times. The blue lines around the first Pokemon and the pink lines around the second suddenly began to shimmer and radiate with increasing power, cutting through the haze and sharpening the contrasts of the silhouettes and movements against the grey background. The blue giant reared back on its legs, kicking them into the air like an enraged Rapidash before landing on all four again, shuddering the mountainside. The Pokemon with pink outlines began to levitate off of the ground by simply raising its wings from a resting position, roaring tremendously. The Pokemon both began hovering, a blue and pink aura around them respectively as a voice, a cold voice, a deep voice, one that Lucas recognized but couldn't attach a face to, surrounded him.

"Extinguished. Like your father before you. You must understand, Lucas. Few things hurt me more than wasted potential. There was so much you could have done, so much you were born to do. But you will die insignificantly. Instantaneously. Ignominiously. You will die in vain," it menacingly thundered as each and every syllable seemed to tear Lucas' skull apart into multiple directions. _I can't take it anymore. If it's a dream, I-I don't want it anymore. I have to wake up!_

The titans encased themselves in bright spheres of their respective colors before charging at each other with tremendous speed. The blast wave resulting from the collision knocked Lucas off of his feet, sending him careening into a nearby rock where he fell with a painful crash. Shaken and barely moving, he looked up from his sprawled position on the ground with fearful awe as the two Pokemon began to gather energy into their centers: pink materialized and flowed into the pink Pokemon's orb while blue energy materialized and flowed into blue Pokemon's stone, causing both to shine brighter with blistering light. The blue Pokemon's spikes on its back grew larger as it opened its mouth, charging up a spiraling and powerful blue ball of intense and blinding energy, a cosmic maelstrom of immense, astronomical power that altered the vicinity around the Pokemon. The haze around it suddenly began to move slower in some places while in others it moved faster, as though it were experiencing a time lapse or fracture.

The pink Pokemon engaged in fearsome displays of power as well, charging up its pink orb with enough light to seemingly ignite its entire arm with shattering pink light that blazed through the fog, revealing its arm with its massive claws more brightly than any other part of its bright silhouette. Around the pink Pokemon, space seemed to have no meaning as light bouncing off the surrounding area became fractured and bent into mind-shattering ways, registering an image in Lucas' head he simply failed to believe he was perceiving. Pillars and haze was suddenly in disarray, objects and starting and ending in different points of his vision where there was absolutely no link between them. It was as though somebody had made a disarranged jigsaw puzzle of his vision.

The Pokemon released their stored energy with a cataclysmic shock that rocked the entire mountain. Fractures and deafening sounds of shattering rock could be heard across the entire region as a blue stream of the blue Pokemon's cosmic concentration of power rifled through the air into a crescent-shaped energy force of pink cut which through the pillars and rocks in the mountains like butter, colliding with apocalyptic force that incinerated the entire mountaintop, collapsing it and blasting it out in as the energy from the attack hurled Lucas out of the experience with the continued pain and bone-crushing force of the battle still grinding agonizingly inside him, as he flowed through the eerily familiar blue tunnel, this time barely conscious, paralyzed, and wholly terrified as he gave up resistance and let himself drift.

He awoke slowly in a hospital bed, a small Audino Pokemon smiling next to him and a doctor monitoring his vital signs on the right. Dawn sat nervously in a seat in the room, suddenly springing awake when she saw his eyelids flutter. Barry leaned against the wall, popping himself upright once he saw Dawn react to Lucas waking. The doctor noticed the spike in his heart rate on one of the monitors and quickly turned to face him with a caring smile on her face. "Good morning, Mr. Drake. I suppose you must be feeling quite refreshed from your prolonged nap?" she asked with a caring smile.

"P-prolonged nap?" Lucas asked with slightly slurry speech, "What are you talking about? How long was I out for?" he pressed trying to turn to face her but finding his arm caught in a sling and cast attached to the roof.

"Be careful," the doctor quickly said, adjusting Lucas' position to accommodate the position of his arm in the sling. "That'll take a while to heal, and we don't want you to give much activity or movement to it. As for your first question, you've been out for about 15 hours now. You had lost a lot of blood when we got you, and we had Audino here keep you sedated your blood pressure and rate of flow wouldn't rise and cause blood loss at the site of the wound. You were lucky: your cuts weren't too deep, but there are quite the number of them, and there is one cut in particular that crossed right through one of the major veins in your forearms. It is best that you stay seated or sedated for the next few days. Audino here can speed up the healing process the longer you rest, but if the pain does happen to be particularly intense, you should take one of these pills here every four hours until you feel it again," the doctor said, the caring virtue of a mother and grandmother in her tone with the authority of an intellectual or judge. "You know," she continued, "Dawn and Barry have been keeping an eye out for you this entire time alongside us medical staff. Most people that come here, even in life-and-death situations, can't always expect to see someone as caring as her watch over them. You're quite fortunate you have somebody with you who cares about you so much. If it wasn't for Dawn's awareness of your condition and if there was any hesitancy on her part in recognizing the urgency of your situation, we might be facing dire consequences today."

Lucas noticed Dawn's reddened eyes and the way Barry slightly slouched his back, unable to support his weight for much longer. They seemed to have not had any sleep at all as they wearily smiled at him. The moment he saw her smile, Lucas was momentarily whisked back to his nightmare, or dream, or vision: he couldn't really pin what he'd just experienced, but he could only know that he remembered whatever he saw. "How, uh, long do I have to be here?"

"At least three to four days in the hospital. You should be fine after that. Cuts and burns can take a while to heal, usually, but Pokemon like Audino and Chansey can speed up the process, especially for minor wounds such as yours. I say you'll be up and running in a few days, if you take rest, that is," she politely informed him.

"Thank you," Lucas said, not knowing what to say to someone who calmly prevents deaths on the daily, not knowing what saving another life meant to them, and not knowing how she kept such a kind and stable demeanor, "for everything."

"Oh, I happily do this job, dear. Now, I suppose you'll want to have a moment to speak to these two alone?" the doctor smiled at him.

"Yes ma'am. Thank you," he weakly said, trying to slide up into a sitting position without moving his arm cast too much. The doctor walked out, scribbling something on her clipboard, documenting something as she walked out.

As soon as the door shut, Lucas spoke. "Is it just me, or does ever-energetic and speedy Barry look a little tired right now?"

"Definitely tired, man. I'm _this_ close to shoving you off of that bed so I can finally get some rest," Barry smiled back at him. Dawn hit him with a disapproving look. "It was just a joke. I'm not _actually_ going to chuck him off the bed, sheesh," he said, throwing his hands up to show his innocence.

"Well," Dawn softly started, "How are you holding up?" Despite her tiredness and slow movements, she could still revitalize Lucas as he turned to look at her.

"Meh. Pretty well. I haven't really moved my arm too much, so I can't tell how much it hurts or anything. But the real question is: how are _you_ two holding up. You look like you're going to fall over and pass out at any moment."

"Yeah, we might," Dawn said as she yawned, "but we wanted to make sure you were doing okay."

"Dawn called me once you were in the ambulance and told me everything about what happened. You've got to thank the workers at Valley Windworks who kept you alive with first aid up until then. But Lucas, as heroic as what you did was… a bit _too_ crazy."

"Hold on, what?" Lucas asked, confused.

"Lucas, you almost got yourself killed. As the doctor said, it's a miracle that all you got were some cuts from shrapnel. A _bomb_ exploded 20 feet away from you! I-I can't just let you almost _die_ again," Dawn protested.

"But—"

"No "if's" or "but's". Next time you're about to do some stupid, questionable, but undoubtedly ethical heroic shit, make sure I'm there with you. I want a piece of the fight, too."

"Right Barry—wait what?" Dawn asked, completely puzzled.

"You had me there thinking you'd gone soft on me, Barry," Lucas laughed, "You have my word: any dumb shit we do from here on, we're doing it together," he smiled, holding his good hand out as Barry firmly shook it.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "You two are going to get yourselves killed, you know?"

"Oh, be honest, Dawn. You probably swooned when he went all badass John Wick on those Galactic grunts to find that little girl's father. And I heard your voice go all _soft_ and _dreamy_ on the phone when you talked about him diving to shield you from the blast," Barry smirked at her as she tried to avoid making eye contact with Lucas. "I mean, it sounded like something straight out of a movie, with him being your hero and—OW!" he abruptly stopped to hold his head after Dawn bopped him over the head with her purse mid-sentence. Lucas couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle. "Well, I'm glad to see you're doing fine and all…" he said, rubbing the back of his head where she hit him. "I'll leave you two, uh, alone for some time."

"Yeah, you'll need the rest, too," Lucas agreed. "Hey, by the time I'm up and running, you owe me a battle."

"By the time you're up and running I'll defeat the league. But more importantly, they have their contest, so I'm going to be helping Alyssa before I battle you."

"Wager on who'll win?"

"Well, I was right…last…time," he trailed off at the end of the sentence, looking at Dawn with her hands on her hips, ready to shred him just with her looks. "Okay bye," he quickly said dashing through and out the doorway in a blur as Lucas just stared, blinking as the door shut behind him.

"Why'd you scare him?" Lucas asked Dawn with a humorous look.

"I didn't know you two were betting on our contests! Are you helping me just to win bets against him?," she said with a tone that hid whether or not she was joking.

"What? No! What kind of crazy conspiracy theory is that? Well, we _do_ bet on your contests, but it's not like betting on Mudsdales and Rapidashes. It's kind of personal when we make bets on your contests because we care about you two more than the fact that you two are winning them."

"Well, who-whose side do you bet on?" she almost timidly asked.

"Oh gee, I don't know. Good question. Take a _wild_ guess," Lucas sarcastically replied with a smile.

"You never like to give straight answers, do you?" she amusedly said as she sat back down in her chair.

"Straight answers are for simple people."

"Twisty answers are for liars."

"Good point," Lucas conceded.

"Which one of us thought to become a lawyer again?"

"The one that once crossed witnesses so hard that they asked the judge to leave the stand."

"Geez, I'm not even going to ask about that."

"Good choice," Lucas laughed.

Silence washed over for a few moments as Lucas felt the bright glare of the lights felt like the blare of a car horn in his ears, tiring his senses as he shifted his position to a more comfortable once again, suddenly feeling the pain in his hurt arm shoot straight into his brain. "Augh," he groaned and winced as he sent his good hand to his head, watching his hurt hand helplessly ache in the cast. Even his good arm went limp as the pain of a thousand sharp objects, sharper than needles and with more precise cuts than knives, scraped and mined the skin and flesh off of his arm. He wasn't breathless, and the pain wouldn't knock him out, but he prayed that it would as he tightened his good hand into a crushing fist.

Dawn almost instinctively reacted to his pain, quickly pulling a pill from the container the doctor had left for him on his tableside and the glass of water next to it. She carefully gave him both, and although he still had quite a bit of pain for another couple minutes, it subsided almost completely after. "I guess that Audino really did numb my pain away, huh?"

"You have no idea how effective Audino and Chansey are at medical treatment, do you?"

"Uh, no. Do you?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, I do," she smiled. "My parents were both doctors. They cared a lot about how much pain people and Pokemon felt, so they decided to do their best to remove it. We could only afford a few medical Pokemon to help the patients who had the most severe illnesses and injuries, and we'd also have special doctors trained to guide the Pokemon through the treatment procedure."

"Only afford? I'm sorry, but I-I don't understand. You don't have to pay Pokemon… right?"

"You're right, but you need to invest a lot of money to take care of them, train them, and make sure they don't over-exert and harm the patients. If an Audino or Chansey puts in even a _teeny_ bit more energy than the doctor tells them too, it can be fatal. Teaching Pokemon to train to use such precise and controlled amounts of their capacity is something that requires a lot of time."

"And people want to be paid for that time, so it costs a lot of money. I guess that also explains why the clinic in Twinleaf doesn't have any Pokemon for treatment, huh?"

"It would. Only large private hospitals, like this one, can afford to staff and effectively maintain Pokemon treatment for patients. Floaroma looks it's a wealthy community, so this hospital probably can afford to charge and provide for the best care ever, Pokemon treatment included."

Lucas' brow suddenly furrowed with a bit of uneasiness. "Dawn, how much does my treatment cost?"

"You don't have to worry about that, I already paid for it."

"What? Why? How?"

"This was the nearest hospital, you were admitted here, and I paid all of your medical bills, so quit worrying," she said, running her fingers through his hair.

"But how much did it cost? How'd you pay for it?"

"I said don't worry about," she insisted a little stronger.

"Did you sell drugs while I was knocked out or something?"

"What? No. Why would you think that," she laughed at him, "It was money I'd won from the contest."

"H-how much of it did you use up?"

"Most of it, but don't you dare try to pay me back for it."

"Try and stop me."

"Lucas, you risked your life and saved mine to get that little girl back to her father. You don't owe me anything," she said. "Just focus on getting some rest, okay."

He nodded silently, staring silently ahead of him, recalling the chaotic and painfully realistic dreams he'd had before waking. _Whatever those Pokemon were, the pink and blue ones, I don't think they're real. No Pokemon I've ever seen releases power like that, like some kind of titans. It had to have been a dream. There is NO fucking way that—"_

"Lucas," Dawn said, interrupting his thoughts, "I something bothering you?"

"Well, yes, but no."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Dawn quizzically smiled.

"It means that there is something bothering me, but, you know, not _really_. I just had a _weird_ dream before I woke up, and it was weird because there was nothing exceptionally _dreamy_ or unrealistic about it." _Except for the part where I'm apparently married to you and get blown up by the Pokemon gods of baby gender-reveals._ "It was just… too real."

"That would be weird. It's funny how we think dreams are weird, but it would be weird if they weren't weird, huh?"

"Okay, Socrates, lay off on the weed for a while." Silence followed again for a few more moments before Lucas spoke again. "When is your contest, by the way?"

"It's five days away."

"Damn it."

"What's wrong?"

"I wanted to help you, but I don't think I'll be much help glued to a bed with my arm in a sling."

"You keep talking about how much you "owe" me and how much you have to "help" me, but you keep forgetting that you saved my life. A couple of times, actually. I'll practice with Alyssa. I mean, we'll be on opposite sides, but we both trust each other to help improve the other. It'll be fine."

"Where's my bag?" Lucas asked, suddenly looking beside his bed.

"Uh, it's under your bed. Here," Dawn said, reaching under it to hand it to him. "What'd you need it for?" she asked as he rummaged through its contents, pulling out a notebook and tearing out a page.

"This is for you," he said, handing the page to her. "I wrote it during the last contest, at least when I could take my eyes off of you," he kindly said. Dawn blushed, and let's just say she was expecting something else on the paper, but that isn't to say she was delighted with she got. "It may sound a bit critical, but—"

"No, it's perfect! It's so detailed a-and just what I need!"

"It's everything I thought you could have fixed from the last competition, not that there was much there _to_ fix, and stuff the other contestants did that the judge likes."

"But how did you, like, _know_ to do this?"

"I'm a note-taker, and I like to keep stats and docs on everything I can remember and better stuff," he paused, "especially for the stuff I care about."

"I see you snuck a couple of jokes in here, too," she smiled, turning the page over to the back side.

"I tend to do that…" he said, leaning back as he put his bag back on the bed. "Dawn, how about you head back to our room and have yourself a rest."

"I'll stay here, Lucas," she yawned, "It's fine."

"It's not like I want you to go either, you know?"

"But you're telling me to anyway?" she smiled back at him.

"You're yawning for every other sentence, and as wonderful as you always look, I can tell that you're dangerously tired. Even I'm in a better condition than you are right now."

"Fine, but I'm coming to visit again for dinner."

"No objections," he said. "See you later."

"See you later, Lucas," she said after she packed her things opening the door. "Oh," she said immediately after she'd opened it, "Someone's here to visit you."

"Who?"

"It's Ana's father," she replied. Lucas slowly sat up to see him outside in a waiting chair with a small briefcase in his lap. He stood up and walked over to the door of Lucas' room.

"May I?" he said to Dawn, gesturing inside the room.

"O-of course," Dawn said, opening the door for him.

"Thank you," he politely said, walking inside. Dawn silently waved to Lucas with a smile as she closed the door and headed out. "Lucas. How much I have to say to you, and how much must I commend you for your actions," he said, taking a seat in one of the chairs in the room.

"Please, sir, it was nothing. We did what anybody would have done, and I'm just glad nobody got hurt."

"You seem to forget the condition you're in now. You put yourself at great risk, but not foolishly, not recklessly. After 35 years of life, I still not capable of being who you are now as an adolescent. And please, call me Arthur."

"Thank you, Arthur. I'm just glad I could help you."

"You'll have to come to visit my home some time."

"Please, Arthur, you don't have to. I don't want to inconvenience you like that for doing something anybody would have done."

"No, Lucas, you must. Ana keeps calling you a superhero, so if not for me, at least for her. She's got a lot to say about you and Dawn, so how about you answer them over dinner. Please, I insist."

"I will, Arthur. Thank you."

"No, thank you, Lucas," he smiled before his expression took a slightly darker turn. "Lucas, although it is true that I'm here with the kindest intentions and gratitude, I must explain that there are… more serious matters that I must discuss."

"What matters?" Lucas asked, a bit perplexed.

"I-if it perturbs you, I'll drop it. It's foolish of me for asking, but I suppose I'm a little irrational at times."

"No, Arthur, not all. Please, elaborate."

"Alright, thank you. I wanted to talk to you about Team Galactic."

"They're a bunch of thugs, Arthur. A little bit of bite but mostly bark. Me and my buddy Barry will make short work of them if they ever are stupid enough to hurt somebody innocent like you or Ana again, you have my word."

"Lucas, I'm afraid that it would seem as though they are _much_ more than that. Much more. I overheard them speaking to each other when they imprisoned me and my colleagues back in Valley Windworks. They use the thugs as an auxiliary, as a criminal arm to push some… larger objectives."

"How large?" Lucas said with his brow furrowed in near anger merely thinking about Team Galactic and Commander Mars.

"Large. Large enough to seem ludicrous to the average person."

"Then what are we worried about? They're shooting straight up stars, so bullets will rain back down on them, right?"

"It may be crazy to the average person, but think, why go through all the effort, the anger, and jeopardy for an impossible task. Galactic Inc. is on the verge of financial collapse because of the bad press and lack of public declaration of dissociation from these criminal acts. You're a clever boy, Lucas. I've not seen you use your intelligence in person, but your language and demeanor reveal enough to me. You _know_ that there is a mastermind, a chess-player manipulating this criminal arm. What may seem crazy to the rest of may be part of his plan. After all, people will be so distracted by the ludicrousness and craziness that they won't even realize what is _really_ happening, what is really being done in plain sight."

"I understand your point, Arthur. And I agree, I have thought of it before, but what do you suppose they're up to. I've run into them a few times before yesterday, and the instances become a little more severe each time, but I don't see it as anything beyond insufficiently coordinated and executed blue-collar crime."

"An apt analysis for a cursory glance, but what I heard from them in the facility changes everything. The said that they needed to collect 300,000 gigawatt-hours of energy and several thousand Pokemon for a task. Lucas, that's enough energy to power an entire region for a year. Our single facility is the only one in all of the regions that can handle and generate that kind of power in a reasonable time period. Does that plan sound anything like what would be manufactured by a blue-collar criminal?"

"No."

"My worries exactly. I'm afraid it doesn't stop there. They said something about creating a new universe. And I-I understand: it's complete nonsense. I've studied physics for all of my academic life, and my wife will tell you, it's quite a long academic life, but I've never seen any evidence of such nonsense being possible. There simply isn't enough… matter, energy, or particles in the universe of any sort and of any power to create a new universe. You would need ultimate power over space and time and selectively choose which parts of our universe you want to create and destroy. What and who gets to survive into the new universe, or what and who means enough not to be destroyed? Those are questions not capably answered by a blue-collared criminal. Lucas. This is not a question of the corruption of this organization or their degree of evil. They are not evil, scheming politicians and bureaucrats, but something much bigger. Something much worse, much more calamitous."

"I've no background in physics, like you, but I'll not deny your take on the subject, Arthur. But, theoretically, if you wanted to create a new universe, how would you do it? What are the physics and principles behind creation?"

"You ask a question that great men and philosophers ask on their deathbeds or in their greatest moments. I'll tell you the answer, but it isn't a short or simple one by any measure."

"I can't really go anywhere," Lucas smiled, showing his curiosity.

"Are you familiar with the concept of entropy and the concept of space-time?"

"Yes. Well, at least to a rudimentary degree."

"That degree will suffice. You should know that time is an artificial construct. It doesn't exist."

"What?" Lucas asked, wholly puzzled as to how Arthur suddenly prefaced such a profound statement with no background. "I'm sorry I don't understand."

"Well, let's look at it this way. If I were to give you a video of all of the universe's history, how would you know which way was forward and backward in time?"

"The way where men go from old to young is backward and the way where they go from young to old is forwards," Lucas quickly replied after a moment of thought.

"Right. Now apart from age, because we have to leave time out of the analysis to avoid making circular assumptions, what increases when you go from young to old and decreases when you go old to young?"

"Entropy," Lucas said with budding realization.

"Brilliant. Now I'm sure you know the law that entropy tends to infinite as the universe increases in age?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, I'm familiar with that point. Now remove the last part of that law so it reads 'entropy tends to infinite.' Is it still true?"

"I-I guess so, yeah."

"Exactly. Time is just our way of placing markers to put the universe into perception and scale. The increase in entropy tells us that more time has passed. If entropy _doesn't_ increase, then time has stopped or reversed. Think about it: if an explosion happened, and froze "time", the particles would scatter around and increase chaos and entropy, they'd stay in place. Time only makes sense as it refers to the distance between one measure of the entropy of the universe and another. Lucas, time is not a property of the universe: entropy is," he said with excited glee about his subject.

"I'm sorry, but I fail to see how that explains creating the universe. I'm a little slow sometimes," he said with a bit of shame.

"You're far too hard on yourself. You've caught up with me so far and that's commendable. If entropy tends to infinite as our measurement of "time" increases, then what would the measure of entropy be when "time" equals zero?"

"It would be zero, too, or at least a finite value that is _far_ less than whatever it is now."

"I see you've studied your limits well in Calculus," Arthur smiled. "You're right. In order to start a universe, you need to bring the net entropy of all the matter in the universe back to an original value, the entropy of the universe when it was all congealed into a single infinitesimally small but infinitely massed point in space: the entropy of our universe _at_ the very moment of the Big Bang. Now, as I said, it's physically impossible to collect enough energy to reduce all of the entropy of the universe and start another Big Bang. It would violate the Laws of Thermodynamics and my mind. There's _no_ way around that. But that's what befuddles me. What's blocking them from creating a universe isn't some simple army or opponent. They're the bloody laws of physics. How could they possibly circumvent them?"

"I don't know the answer to that as much as you do, Arthur. I promise that whatever it is, I'll be the first to let you know. I'm sure that they can't just dance over the laws of physics, but they seem to be dancing over human lives and the laws of our region in the process of trying. Though their ends may be unrealistic and impossible, their means, unfortunately, are vividly real, and I'll do my best to stand against them."

"Lucas," he said, placing his hand on Lucas' shoulder, "you're more than just a boy. You've already become a good man. Whoever your father is, I'm sure he's bloody proud to see his son be this way because if I had a son, I'd be ecstatic if he were just half of what you are."

"Please, Arthur, any more praise and it might get to my head!" he jokingly protested. A short silence followed before Lucas spoke: "If they can create a universe, how much control will they have? Can they be stopped at that point."

"Even if they choose not to create a new universe, the forces and energies involved with such a task will give them pure, total control. Total control. The creation of a new universe and the destruction of the current one are only two of millions of catastrophic and tyrannical decisions they can make, Lucas. But I'm sure one good decision on your part will be jarring enough to hold them back," he smiled before getting up and holding his briefcase again. "I'll be taking my leave, Lucas. Remember, if you ever need anything whatsoever from me, I'll do it without a doubt. I don't want you to hesitate and think that the request may be beyond my capacity or strength: I'll do my best to fulfill it no matter the cost."

"I hope such a circumstance never comes, but I'll rest assured knowing I can count on you. How is it if I see you this Saturday for dinner after Dawn's contest?"

"That would be absolutely splendid, yes! Is there a particular dish that you're fond of? Linda and Ana are wonderful cooks, I assure you," Arthur ecstatically replied.

"I don't think I'm of such station as to give orders to such wonderful cooks, then. I'll have whatever pleases them to cook," Lucas politely said.

"Alright, then. I'll keep the menu a surprise," Arthur smiled as he opened the door and pushed back his glasses with the hand that wasn't holding the handle before he picked up his briefcase from the floor and walked into the doorway. "Be there at 7:30 sharp!"

"I will, Arthur. Have a good one."

"You too, and I hope you have a speedy recovery," Arthur said, closing the door gently behind him as he walked off into the corridor.

Lucas reclined in his bed again, deep in thought. _Total control. They want total control. But what will they do with it?_

 **Well, there you go! The chapter's over! No battles, I know, but it was fun to write regardless, and I hope it was fun for you to read. A lot of worldbuilding and plot have been developed in this chapter, so chances are I made a continuity error or technical error somewhere. If so, please feel free to let me know in a review. As usual, thanks for reading and cheers!**


	17. Chapter 17: The Calm Before the Storm

**OKAY! So first off, sorry for the** ** _really_** **late update. As it turns out, I'm not only a slow writer but an even slower writer when I'm on vacation and have work to do, too. So… don't expect regular updates for the next month or so, because I doubt I'll have the time or even my laptop to deliver properly, but that's why I made this chapter extra-large, so hopefully, it'll fill the gap between now and my next update. Also, and most importantly, I'm in college now, so I'll be all caught up in the excitement, but I promise to keep writing even it'll be at a considerably slower pace than I used to. As usual, any reviews you guys have, critical or laudatory, is highly appreciated. I'll respond to each and every review you drop on this chapter: especially since it's been so long. And without further ado, here's chapter 17.**

Chapter 17: Calm Before the Storm

Lucas cracked his knuckles by crushing his right hand into a fist as the pain shot through his hurt arm again. He almost instinctively reached for the pills next to him, but as soon as he did, the pain subsided, and he retracted his good hand from the bottle of pills. _The pain is rarely there now. I have to say, the doctor predicted that I'd leave here in three days' time perfectly_. Earlier that day the doctor tested the condition of his cuts and slashes, estimating that he'd be ready to go in a few hours if the pain didn't come back as strong or for as long as it had a few days prior.

Not that he could focus much on the pain anyway because between calls from his worried mother and Dawn, he didn't really spend as much time thinking about himself as much as he did about them. And although doting over the mere voice of Dawn over the phone and the fact that she cared enough to worry about him was something he expected himself to do, he was somewhat amused and perplexed by his mother's worry. It wasn't unusual for her to worry: there were countless times when he and his dad rolled their eyes beyond her gaze when she tried to bubble-wrap both of their lives out of safety, but now, it was different. She had stage 3 cancer, but she still found it in her to spend time worrying for and soothing her son, who would fully recover from his cuts and scratches save for a single s car across his arm. _I guess that's real love, huh. You just love someone until it doesn't have to make sense to anyone but you._ He picked up his father's hat from inside his bag and held it, pondering. _I guess you must've loved mom and me just as much, Dad._

He turned over to see the clock next to his bed. It read: "6:24 a.m., Thursday, December 20th, 2019." It was only a couple days before Dawn's second competition, an event which he regretfully could not help her with from his bed but made every possible effort to do so. She came back with some footage of her practice, and he'd give her criticism and guidance from the perspective of an audience member, trying to increase her already high caliber in competing, occasionally snapping himself out of imagining her in her shining contest outfit.

A few minutes later, he heard some knocking on the door of his room. "Come in!" he called out as the door opened, revealing Dawn in a slightly different outfit. Instead of her regularly cotton-heavy and somewhat formal outfit, she was just wearing a simple red T-shirt, short-shorts, and a smile. "What's with the change of outfit?" Lucas asked.

"I'm taking a break from practicing, and it's kinda hot here compared to the rest of Sinnoh. I mean, I've been practicing _all_ day for three days! I need some time to rest! What do you say we spend the day roaming around town with Barry and Alyssa after you're out of the hospital?" she requested.

"No."

"What?"

"I'm kidding. I wouldn't say no in my wildest dreams," he smiled. "Nothing like a day to screw around to get my arm back in use again, right?"

"Now hold on," Dawn said, holding her hand up as if to pause Lucas, "Normally, I wouldn't say anything, but I have a weird feeling that you and Barry have a _very_ different idea of 'screwing around' from me and Alyssa…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, for me, 'screwing around' is just relaxing for a while, like window-shopping or strolling."

"Window-shopping and strolling?" Lucas asked with a bit of cringe in his face.

"You seem to have a problem with my definition," Dawn half-smirked at him.

"Oh my God, yes. Window-shopping and strolling are considered forms of torture, Dawn. If you _really_ want a break from practicing, you need to loosen up a bit more."

"As in how much more?"

"As in 'forfeiting control over the plans for the day to me and Barry because we actually know how to spend a day'."

"I will if you tell me what we're doing, first."

"No, we're keeping it a surprise. We have a break, we practice for the next two days, you compete, you win, we have a nice dinner at Arthur's house on the next day, and we call it a week. Sound like a plan?"

"It does, but whatever you're planning _better_ be worth it."

"Whatever it is, it isn't going to be as lame as window-shopping," he smirked, and she simply rolled her eyes with a smile in response.

The doctor came into the room a few minutes later, took some notes on Lucas' condition, asked him some condition, took some more notes, left the room, and finally came back giving Lucas permission to leave the hospital at last. Lucas thanked the doctor and the staff before being given the room to make a quick change from his hospital gown to his regular clothes which Dawn left for him in his bag.

Hearing his favorite jacket zip up again, he put on his father's hat slowly before walking out, brimming with newfound excitement where he found Dawn waiting for him. The two happily walked out of the hospital where they were greeted by both Barry and Alyssa almost instantly. Barry speedily walked right up to Lucas, subconsciously moving right past Dawn as though she didn't register in his attention. He and Lucas shook hands before a short hug, leaving Dawn to look at Alyssa as if to ask, "What is _up_ with Barry?" Alyssa seemed more tolerant of his speedy, haphazard behavior and simply gave a smile back to Dawn.

"How ya feeling, Lucas?" Barry quickly asked with a grin.

"Just fine," Lucas replied, stretching out his arm while making a fist. "Never felt better," he said, looking at his scar that ran along his forearm like a scratch mark from a claw. "But," he started again, looking up at Barry, "I need to talk to you for a moment."

"About what?"

"About what we're going to do today, but it's a surprise for those two, so why don't we go talk over there," he said, gesturing to a small corner some yards away from Alyssa and Dawn.

"Alright," Barry said already walking while Lucas followed right behind him, lightly speaking so Dawn and Alyssa wouldn't hear.

"Surprise?" Alyssa asked Dawn once Lucas and Barry were out of earshot. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Yeah, I told him that we should maybe go window-shopping since you and I decided to take our day off from practicing. He looked at me like… like you're looking at me right now…" Dawn trailed as she noticed that Alyssa had the same look that Lucas had at the mention of window-shopping. "I thought you liked window-shopping!"

"I do, but that's your idea of a romantic date with Lucas? Dragging him around with you until he's depressed out of his mind?"

"Well that's not what I—"

"Look, it doesn't matter," she said, placing her hand on Dawn's shoulder, "Whatever he and Barry are cooking up right now, you'll have to spin it into something you can use to get closer to Lucas."

"Like, physically?"

"Like in any way possible, Dawn! Just make sure he doesn't remember you as 'lame-window-shopping girl'," she advised, causing Dawn to take a curl her lip out of nervous caution. Alyssa quickly noticed her words didn't have the intended effect. "Oh, you'll do just fine, Dawn," she reassured, "Just be relaxed and be your usual self." Dawn nodded quietly. Barry and Lucas wrapped up their discussion, walking toward Alyssa and Dawn again with a grin. Alyssa quickly to Dawn again, whispering in her ear, "Okay, whatever Lucas has in mind right now, he likes it. You have to agree with it no matter what."

"But I thought you just said to 'be yourself'?" Dawn asked, slightly confused.

"Be both," Alyssa quickly responded once the other two were within earshot again.

"Okay," Lucas began, his grin still shining, "Barry and I are having a battle."

"What?" Dawn asked, "That's fine and all, but what are _we_ , as in all four of us, supposed to do today? I thought you said that we'd be doing something fun!" she protested.

"That's the thing. Barry and I disagree on what we should do, so who wins determines what we'll be doing today."

"Uh, can't you just settle that with Fire-Grass-Water?" she asked with a smirk.

"Because we need an excuse to have a Pokemon battle," Lucas smiled right back. "And because you and Alyssa had a lot of battles between you while I was in the hospital. It's only fair," he said, pulling Prometheus' Pokeball out. "Barry, you ready?"

"I'm not the one who just came out of the hospital," Barry retorted, pulling out Alexander's Pokeball. "Get ready to make another visit, Lucas," he laughed.

"Light 'em up Prometheus," Lucas called out, throwing the Chameleon's Pokeball once the two people were far enough apart. Barry threw his Pokeball out in response, leaving Alexander, who had evolved into a Luxio, and Prometheus to ferociously stare each other down. "Prometheus, use Ember!"

"You can't keep having Prometheus use Ember forever," Barry chuckled, "Alex, use Charge!" Prometheus almost instinctively fired his Ember away at the Alex, and although the small ball of flames hit their mark, Lucas began to look a bit worried. Alexander simply took the hit while standing still, a bright yellow glow sparking around him until the sparks coming from him zapped around him and into the ground, indicating that his special attack had risen.

"No way, you used a set-up move?" Lucas said, somewhat surprised.

"Yeah… it's not illegal for me to do that, you know," Barry said, unsure as to why Lucas was so taken aback by such a simple move.

"Using a set-up move implies that you thought one step ahead, something which I don't really believe you're capable of," Lucas joked. "Prometheus, use Fury Swipes this time!"

"Alexander, just keep away from him!" Barry countered as he saw the opposing Charmeleon raise its right hand to claw away at his Luxio. Luxio was able to maintain its distance from Charmeleon, given that it had the speed advantage and could run on four feet, but Charmeleon seemed a bit smarter, cutting Luxio off in its turns and forcing it to slow down just enough to land an attack. Prometheus' claws had yellow glow as they gashed and sliced through Alexander, although he could only get four swipes into Alexander before the little Luxio ran away.

Alex only made a little distance between himself and Prometheus when Barry had a wide smile on his face. "Now! Use Spark!" he ordered. The stored electricity suddenly began to crackle and surge all around him. The Luxio used all four feet to leap forward, covering the gap between himself and Prometheus in one powerful leap, discharging the immense amount of charge within him in one single surge. The immense power hurled the much larger Prometheus back towards Lucas, some smoke slowly rising from the fiery Pokemon as it struggled to raise itself off of the ground.

"I'm sorry Prometheus," Lucas said, kneeling down next to his weakened partner. "I didn't expect to actually have foresight all of a sudden, but just a little longer and we can both pull through with a victory, okay?" he gently said. Prometheus gave a firm nod, his orange tail flame glowing and morphing into a blue inferno as it prepared itself for one more attack. "One more Ember, Prometheus! Let's finish this!" Lucas called out.

"Charge at him with another spark before he gets the chance!" Barry countered. Both Pokemon raced to fire their attacks first. Alex cloaked himself in electricity again, although it was less intense than the previous time since there was no stored charge, and charged straight at Prometheus at full speed, almost fast enough to get hurt by recoil. Prometheus let loose a ball of fire exploded right in front of Alexander's face, causing the X-Ray Pokemon to tumble into the ground, still sparking and glowing, until it eventually slammed into Prometheus, knocking him out with a loud _ZAP!_ Lucas and Barry both shielded their faces with their arms as light bursted forth from the collision of the fire and electric attacks, but both were disheartened to see that Prometheus and Alexander stopped moving, save for their faint breathing.

"That was an excellent fight you put up, buddy. Now get some rest," Lucas thanked Prometheus as he recalled him back into his Pokeball. "Alright! Caesar, give 'em all you got!" he said, throwing out Caesar's Pokeball while Barry threw Richard's.

Lucas' Prinplup landed with a regal, proud look on its face while Barry's Grotle seemed more focused and calm in delivering its trainer's desired attacks. "Your Prinplup may have beaten Richard the first time we battled, but Richard didn't know any Grass-Type moves then," Barry smiled, seeing victory right around the corner, "It's a whole new ballgame now, Lucas."

"Not the first or last time I'll beat you with long odds, Barry," Lucas smirked. "Prinplup, use Pound!"

"Richard! Hit him with Absorb!" Barry urged. Caesar seemed to have the clear advantage in speed as he quickly bolted as fast his little legs could carry him toward Richard, colliding with him head-on using his new crown-like protrusions on his head to knock Richard back several steps. Richard took the hit, shrugged a bit, and regained focus quickly as he began to absorbs beads of light from Prinplup into himself. Prinplup shuddered and wrapped its wings around itself, looking weak and queasy as if it were about to vomit, before falling back on the floor, still shuddering as the opposing Grotle finished siphoning off the Penguin Pokemon's energy. While Caesar weakly and slowly got up, Grotle seemed to have more energy than before, partially healed from Caesar's previous attack. "Alright, Richard, finish this with Razor Leaf!"

 _Dammit, Caesar can't take another hit!_ Lucas worriedly thought. _But I've still got a shot at him._ "Caesar, use Peck!" Lucas cried, power and fire in his voice as he hoped for a Caesar could land a critical hit. Grotle began concentrating as leaves from nearby trees, grasses, and greenery suddenly were plucked from their stems and bulleted toward Caesar at sharp angles and blistering speeds. Caesar's beak glowed a radiant white as it too charged at the stationary Grotle once again.

"Richard! You need to dodge that now!" Barry pleaded, but the cumbersome Grove Pokemon simply could not maneuver in time as Caesar raised its beak to strike, merely yards away. As Caesar neared Richard, the Razor Leaf attack began to take effect as more and more leaves began to strike and cut Caesar the closer he got, but the Penguin Pokemon ruggedly persisted, despite slowing down and weakening. It finally closed in on Richard, who was now sending in dozens of leaves cutting away Caesar, but Caesar leaped into the air, diving down headfirst with his beak aimed directly at Grotle's head, sending the super-effective attack directly at its mark before smashing both Pokemon into the dirt with the force of the attack.

"Gah!" Lucas said with a slight tinge of frustration as Grotle shook itself of the dust and rose to its feet while Caesar remained on the ground, eyes closed.

"Nice try, Lucas, but unless you've got Arceus in that last Pokeball you're going to have to finally concede a win to me!" Barry smiled, his excitement visible in his jittering and jumping.

Well, I don't have Arceus," Lucas said, grabbing his last Pokeball, "But I've got the next best thing. Galahad, you're all I've got!" he said as the Starling Pokemon unfurled its wings, soaring into the sky of the battlefield.

"You think Barry's gonna win this one?" Alyssa asked Dawn while giving Barry a soft gaze.

"I think that Lucas is going to win this somehow."

"But Barry's always been a step ahead of Lucas. How do you think he's going to win?"

"Lucas has to win. I want to see what his plan for today is."

"Whatever it is, it's going to be less exciting than Barry's, just saying."

"Suuuuure," Dawn sarcastically replied, "Doing cocaine on rollercoasters is less exciting than go-karting or something."

"You've got Barry all wrong, you know. He's not always a fired-up crazy energy machine."

"Let me guess, he has a soft side?"

"Yeah, he does. He's as soft as churned butter sometimes, and he's _so_ sweet when he opens up to ya'."

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that you _like_ -like Barry."

"Y-yeah? A-and what makes ya' so sure?"

"Well, I don't know, the fact that you've seen his soft side, think he's sweet, aaaaand the way you're looking at him right now," she said, slightly laughing. "As poised and dolled-up as you are, you _do_ break character when you get carried away, and it looks like he's carried you away just by standing there with a Pokeball!"

"You figured my tell real easy, I'll give ya' that much," Alyssa blushed, "but," she quickly added, diverting from the current topic, "what do you say we do that betting thinga-mac-jig they always do when you and I have a battle?"

"Okay, what are the stakes?"

"Well, I don't think I want to bet money. It's kinda stupid, and being stupid is their thing," Alyssa chuckled.

"Yeah, I agree. Alright, I've got it. If I win, you have to ask Barry out."

"And if I win?"

"Then I'll ask Lucas out."

"Deal," Alyssa said quietly, shaking hands with Dawn while the battle between Lucas and Barry began to heat up even further.

"Galahad, finish him with Wing Attack!" Lucas roared as his avian Pokemon flapped its wings once, causing to glow bright white and radiate ferociously.

"Grotle, you need to get out of there! This attack will be super-effective!" Barry pleaded, but by the time that he merely finished saying his sentence, Galahad successfully entered his diving pattern, wings still glowing hot, and closed in faster and faster on the Grotle, who had simply managed to turn the other way. Richard had instinctively withdrawn into his shell, increasing his defense against the oncoming attack, but Galahad skillfully tilted his line of attack, turning his body 90-degrees on the y-axis and using his right-wing to smack at the shell of Grotle like it was a croquet ball, sending the Grotle hurtling into the air before landing with a crack as Richard was forced back out of his shell by Galahad's jarring impact.

"Great, now we're even again!" Barry protested as he recalled the fainted Richard while the dust cleared.

"We both know what Pokemon you have left," Lucas smiled. "A rivalry between our Pokemon to match our own, huh?"

"You said it. Gawain, let's show 'em how it's done!" Barry thundered as his own Staravia sprung from its Pokeball, taking directly into the sky without landing on the ground just as its counterpart had. Both Staravias circled each other in a mutually offensive and defensive maneuver, preventing either from attacking first or pulling out of the circling maneuver without the direction and planning of their trainers.

Lucas thought for a moment to analyze and respond to the seeming stalemate in the sky, but Barry seemed more anxious than he to finish the battle with strength and swiftness, ordering Gawain to pull up and out of the circular maneuver and into the sky above. _Galahad just has to chase Gawain upwards until Gawain stalls out. Then it's just picking sitting ducks._ Lucas craftily thought to himself. "Galahad, chase after him. Keep on his tail and don't let go!" he ordered.

Galahad shot after his counterpart, wings flapping more ferociously than ever as he rose into a climb that became steeper and steeper until he was able to match the upward path of Gawain right ahead of him.

"If you keep up that chase you'll tire both Pokemon out!" Barry immediately said with concern for his victory, "They can fly for a kilometer _at least_ just like that! How do you plan on deciding a winner when both our Pokemon can become exhausted by just a little chase to nowhere," Barry said, rolling his eyes.

"Just watch Gawain right about…" Lucas said, stretching the word about as he looked up with Barry to see Gawain and Galahad climbing faster and faster upward while a few feathers drifted gently and harmlessly to the ground. "Now. Galahad, quit pushing forward, fall back and glide down!" he suddenly ordered, and Galahad obeyed instantly, although there was clear desire in his eyes to follow through with a full attack. While Galahad pulled away and opened his wings fully to act as a parachute and glider that caught the air as he fell and gave him direction in his fall, Gawain simply tumbled out from the sky into several loops, twists, and somersaults as he stalled from a lack of energy and available air for aviation. The contours of Gawain's many feathers caused him to spin uncontrollably in the sky winding down at rapid spee, much to Barry's horror as there seemed to be no hint of conscious decisions or efforts made by Gawain to stop the spinning or stalling as they plummeted closer and closer to the ground.

Gawain had plummeted far below Galahad now due to the fact that Galahad's wings gave him more control and adjustment in the direction and time of his descent while Gawain was still flailing and would have fallen completely and went into a coma had not it regained menial control over its flight path in the last few months of its descent.

But Gawain's minor gain was easily offset by Galahad's new change in trajectory as Lucas' Staravia sped up its descent and placed itself directly behind and above the escaping Staravia, coming in hot on Richard's 6 o'clock and ready to pounce and make the kill.

"Wing Attack!" Lucas simply ordered, and Galahad fired its wings up into a blistering white color again as it pulled down to intercept the flight path of Gawain.

"Gawain, barrel roll to the right!" Barry called, hoping that the known agility and evasiveness of avian Pokemon would come to save Gawain. Although Gawain began to move, Galahad was just a bit faster and completely cut off Gawain with a slice from his Wing Attack, sending Gawain pummeling into the ground mere feet from where Barry stood. Galahad properly timed his hit as he moved up and pulled away from the ground merely yards beneath him while Gawain struggled to get up while dusting his feathers and body from the aftermath of the previous attack. "Nice shot, Lucas. But we're evenly matched in our Pokemon, so my skill will decide the match!" he half-barked.

"Your skill or lack thereof?" Lucas retorted as Galahad took to the sky again, this time forming a circular loop around the fallen and newly risen Gawain as he waited for Barry's approval to move forward with an attack against Galahad in revenge for the previous hit that took Barry's Staravia cleanly out of the sky in one fell swoop.

"Oooh, I think Lucas has shifted the tide in his favor!" Dawn gushed.

"For now. The whole battle's been here and there, so I think Barry's toughness will save him," Alyssa replied immediately.

"Yeah, but Barry's a little hot-headed. Lucas likes to think things through and pays 12-D chess with everybody, so I don't think that there's going to be any kind of problem at all for him to beat Barry here. Especially Barry."

"I want to agree with you, but I'm not going to just ignore the fact that you're _wrong_ ," Alyssa playfully defended.

"Gawain! You need to get back up there before he comes in on an attack run!" Barry pleaded his partner, and true to his word, Galahad geared up for yet another Wing Attack Lucas ordered that would surely knock the poor little bird out of the match.

"Don't let him get up!" Lucas roared in response, "The longer we can force him to stay down there, the longer we'll have to come up with a killer strategy. We need to prevent him from using his wings or beak first, and to do that, we have to do our best to keep him on the ground!"

Galahad nodded, charging his wings up for a Wing Attack and sliding right past the fluttering Gawain before coming in with a subsequent Quick Attack or Wing Attack that would yet again force Gawain back onto the ground or into the dirt where his feathers would be too drenched or dirty to allow for effective flying or escaping. Gawain still fluttered and struggled all around the area, hoping to find some way out. Finally, Galahad pulled around from the end of his previous flight trajectory, this time properly aiming the shot for Gawain and pulling as close as possible to the line and sign of the target to deliver a direct hit.

Gawain was low on health from the repeated attacks, but Galahad had his full strength in him and was flying about ferociously attacking with Quick Attacks and Wing Attacks every time that Gawain seemed to gain some balance or ground. But Barry seemed completely unfazed by the low health of his partner, instead, smiling wildly before breaking into a chuckle. "Wait for it Gawain…" he lightly said as Galahad neared for another Wing Attack, coming in from above. "Now!" he exclaimed while clapping, "Use Endeavor!" Almost seemingly from nowhere, a weak Gawain gained the strength of his full power and instantly exploded with fury. Gawain turned right back around, facing the incoming Galahad, charging at him with blind rage and colliding with him in mid-air. Using talon, beak, and wing, Gawain began repeatedly attacking and Galahad.

"Argh! Galahad, use Quick Attack to get out of there! I don't get it, Barry. Gawain was _this_ close to losing. Where is it getting this speed from?" Lucas asked shocked while he tried to regain his wits and finish the battle as best he could.

"Endeavor reduces the opposing Pokemon's HP to that of the user's. We both have the same speed: after all, we have the same Pokemon, so I just waited until Galahad expended some of its stamina trying to chase and lower Gawain's health, and used Endeavor to level the playing field at no cost," Barry proudly smirked.

"You? Using foresight and planning? I don't believe it! Alyssa must have helped you train," Lucas said focusing in on Gawain to see when the Staravia would let out on its relentless attacks so Galahad could escape before irrecoverable damage was done.

"Have you thought of a way to ask Lucas out, yet?" Alyssa said with a smile at Dawn.

"Wha-no! Lucas is going to win, even if Barry _is_ playing a little out of his character for this battle," Dawn immediately shot back as she tried her best not to think about the outcome of a loss.

Meanwhile, Gawain's attack diminished in strength as the Endeavor attack lost its fervor and potential, allowing a heavily weakened and damaged Galahad to slowly flap away, exhausted but still determined to win as it assumed its favorite high-altitude position above the battlefield.

"Well, there's only one way to settle this," Lucas plainly said as Gawain and Galahad began to stare at each other ferociously from their positions in the sky.

"All in?" Barry asked, knowing what would likely be coming.

"All in."

"Wing Attack!" Barry and Lucas both roared, loud enough to Dawn and Alyssa jump, as the two birds began to flap and jet towards each other at incredible speeds before slamming into each other with white wings and the screeches of angered birds of prey. Dust and smoke clouded the area where they collided, but Lucas and Barry both bore frowns on their faces as they as two columns of smoke and dust fell earthward before the columns dissipated to reveal Gawain and Galahad, unconscious and plummeting into the ground.

Both Lucas and Barry were quick to recall their Pokemon before they hit the ground, walking to the center to give each other reluctant handshakes while Alyssa and Dawn both gave each other looks of confusion.

"So does this mean that you won or I won?" Dawn whispered to Alyssa while Barry and Lucas were sorting what the plans for the day should be since the battle took a turn that none of them had accounted for.

"It means we both lost, so nothing happens, I guess. We just go on as we did before," Alyssa responded, raising her shoulders to show that she was just improvising an answer.

"Well… shit, that was fun. It looks like the tide's shifting in my favor, huh? You win by smaller and smaller margins every time we battle, and this time you didn't win… I'm sensing a very nice pattern here," Barry said, exasperated.

"Pattern or coincidence?" Lucas chuckled as Barry rolled his eyes. "Hey, that was an awesome battle, don't get me wrong, but we've still got no idea what to do for the rest of the day!" Lucas said with equal frustration on the subject. He then grimaced a bit as he shot a glance at Dawn and Alyssa approaching him before quickly saying, "How about we settle this with Fire-Grass-Water."

"Ooooooh, so when I say it, Fire-Grass-Water is a dumb idea, but after you two agree on it, it's the greatest idea ever, huh?" Dawn playfully chided.

"We had no choice," Lucas said with a mock-dramatic tone. "This is a result of desperation." He turned to Barry, "Best two out of three?"

"Yeah, that's fine," Barry replied.

Barry lost in the first two attempts, despite his attempt to explain how "water could drown grass".

"Yes!" Lucas jumped, making a fist with his right hand. "We're having fun _my_ way today!"

"Awesome!" Dawn cheered with him. She couldn't help it: seeing him excited just ignited her in a way that almost nobody else could. Was it his smile? His enthusiasm? Did it even matter what it was? "So, what _are_ we doing today?"

"We're going to an amusement park full of all kinds of crazy roller coasters. They've got the best thrill rides in all of Sinnoh!" he said, with the excitement shining right out of him.

"Ooo! I love roller-coasters!" Dawn grinned. _I fucking hate roller-coasters_ , she fearfully thought.

"What did Barry choose?" Alyssa asked.

"Oh, go-karting," he simply replied.

Barry and Alyssa started a conversation and walked in the direction of the park while. Dawn continued to have panicked thoughts as she thought about going on roller coasters, something which she'd feared since she was a kid in Kanto, especially the loops and corkscrews on them. _Going to heights? Not a problem. Being THROWN from heights in a little car and having nothing but a seatbelt and bar to hold you in? Lots of problems. But how am I going to tell him I'm scared of roller-coasters? He's going to think I'm the buzzkill again. Grrr… Lucas, you're always making this so—"_

"Hey," Lucas said, placing his hand on her shoulder with a somewhat awkward smile, "You look like somebody just killed your parents or something," he joked. "What's wrong?"

"Um…" Dawn said, curling her lips as the awkwardness set about her, "Lucas someone _did_ kill my, uh, parents…" she informed as politely as she could without sounding too emotional all of a sudden.

 _Oh. Fuck._ "Wait, Dawn, I-I'm really sorry. I really—" he pleaded with a face so apologetic that she instantly forgot what happened and felt like hugging him and telling him it was fine.

"It's okay, it's okay. I know you didn't mean it in a bad way," she quickly assured.

"No, Dawn—Arceus, I feel terrible now."

"Lucas. It's fine," she smiled, "I'll forgive you if you'll forgive yourself, you know. It's not like you did an unspeakable crime or something, right?" she said with a simple smile, "Now," she started again, her tone indicating the arrival of new topic, "how, huge are these roller coasters?"

"Well it's a Pokemon themed amusement park, kind of like the one they have in Unova, but with _much_ bigger and faster rides. Some of the coasters go all the way up to 300 feet before the first drop, and they have magnetic strips to boost the coaster in between the ride, so you'll have longer and faster rides. You'll really love it."

"Um, th-three hundred feet?" she asked with concern seeping from her face. "That's, um, a lot of feet."

"Yep, you'll be going so fast you won't notice, though. Every ride is different because they're designed to make a different kind of thrill. Isn't that amazing?" he said, completely missing Dawn's worry.

"Lucas I'm scared of roller-coasters. I'm scared of thrill rides in general. I-I'm not sure if I want to go… i-if that's okay with you, though," she stammered nervously.

She expected him to react negatively or at least become a bit downhearted, but he just smiled. "Wait, you're scared of—"

"Yes."

"But why?"

"I don't know. I just am."

"No, no, no. There's always a backstory or something. Why are you scared," he smiled as he tried to have her pry open the truth.

"Well…" she sighed, "I don't know how to say it, but I was, uh, always scared of roller coasters as a kid. I went on one once, a long time ago with my parents in Kanto, but I passed out on the ride because I was so terrified of going on the loop. I barely remember what happened at the amusement park after that, you know."

"Gee, how old were you when that happened?" Lucas said, some sympathy in his voice.

"Six."

"Si-Six?! Really? You're what 18 now?" he said as the sympathy form his voice completely evaporated.

"Yeah…?" she trailed, not knowing where his questions where headed.

"Okay, that happened a whole _twelve_ years ago. I mean, you tell me how much has changed since then! You got your Pokemon, you've been the star of a contest, you fought off Galactic, and you met me."

"Oh, yes, Lucas," she retorted with a humorous amount of sass, "I'm _sure_ that when anyone asks me what my most life-changing moment was, I'll say it was running into you with the Professor's suitcase from the lake while you wore your blue flat-top hat with a Pokeball and that smoot blue jacket over a simple white T-Shirt, looking all tall and confident yet nervous on the outside when you saw me coming, holding that spark of beautiful adventure in those warm brown eyes of yours," she replied, her tone slipping into softer and dreamier notes the longer she spoke.

"That's, uh, oddly specific," Lucas chuckled, "I can't tell if you were being sarcastic or not."

Dawn had knocked herself out of her daydream at that point, quickly pretending to rub her eyes to hide her reddening complexion. "Of course I was being sarcastic, duh," she quickly said, although her tone did waver a bit. "But I can't go on roller-coasters. I already told you. How about we do something else, today? Pleeeeeease," she pleaded, enlarging her eyes and smile in her hope to woo him away from her fear.

Lucas had to admit: it was almost impossible to resist her when she looked like that, but more than his attraction to her was his fear of boredom. "No," he almost curtly said before smiling again, "I'm not window-shopping my brain cells into suicide, you hear me?"

"Ugh, you can't just remember me as just the 'lame-window-shopping-girl', Lucas!" she complained, remembering what Alyssa had just told her. "There's more to me than that," she confidently asserted, earning an agreeing nod and smile from him.

"You're right, Dawn," he smiled, "But you have to trust me," he said with as earnest an expression as he could give, his smile soft and his assurance firm, "I think you're worried about something that you may end up liking after all."

"Fine," she sighed, "I'll go, but you can't expect me to get on all the rides."

"Awesome!" Lucas said, excitedly leaping, "And I promise, you'll want to get on all the rides by the time we're about to leave."

"Alright, alright, but I think we should get moving, first. Barry and Alyssa are _way_ ahead of us," Dawn laughed, and the two trotted quickly to join up with the other pair.

It was only a 20-minute walk to the amusement park, but a difficult one to say the least. There was a road to the amusement park, but it was only accessible by car, so going down that route was impossible, leaving them with only a single option: walk. The route to walk to the park wasn't exactly a paved one, so the group had to go the northern end of town where the flowers bloomed so intensely and in such tight packs that if you threw a handful of sand in the air not a grain would hit the ground.

Lucas and Barry heartlessly trudged and trampled through the field, occasionally dodging a Combee and steering clear of the Vespiqueens that came to feed off of the sweet nectar of the flowers. Meanwhile, Alyssa and Dawn made sure not to harm or step on any of the flowers or stems, carefully placing each step while holding out a handful of Pokemon food for nearby Buneary and Cricketots to eat. Each flower seemed to exude a distinct smell of its own, a smell that simply could not be compared to any other flower in existence. They had joyful, glowing aura around them that seeped into the environment and the Pokemon that thrived on them as the entirety of the meadow vibrated with life. It was as though they were simply walking through the most pristine museum exhibit in the world, each part tailored to the other in perfect harmony flora and fauna seemed to work together in a beautiful dance. Well, it seemed like that, at least when the Pidgeots and Fearows didn't swoop in and pick out some of the poor Combee and Budews that couldn't escape their talons.

"Hey, what's that sweet smell?" Dawn suddenly asked as she and Alyssa began curiously sniffing to see what the new scent was. "It's definitely not the flowers because I didn't smell until now… but I swear that if happiness had a smell this would be it."

"It's the honey," Barry and Lucas said at once.

"No way," Alyssa objected, "We had a whole Combee farm back in Johto, with a Vespiqueen and all. Sure, the smell was as sweet as summer, but it wasn't _this_ good."

"Well—" Lucas began before Barry cut him off.

"Nah, I got this," he assured, to which Lucas simply shrugged and let him proceed, "I don't know about the flowers in Johto, but the nectar in the Floaroma flowers isn't any ordinary nectar for honey. The honey here is _so_ sweet that sugar has extra low prices here in Sinnoh because the product isn't very popular among the people when they can just get this stuff right here. Heck, even the Pokemon love it. Apply multiple coats of this shit on a tree and even the Rock Pokemon will come floating."

"Oh really?" Alyssa said with a skeptic smile, her eyebrow raised.

"Oh yeah," Barry affirmed, "The flowers the Combees collect nectar from are Gracidea flowers bloom _all_ year round, and the Shaymin come here once every year in the spring and energize the flowers to the point of bursting radiance. Everyone from all over the world comes here to see the little Shaymin gather and change into their Sky Forme before they fly away to who knows where again. There's a whole festival for it, actually," Barry said in his usually excited and speedy delivery while Lucas slammed his forehead into his palm.

"A festival? For the honey or the Shaymin?" Alyssa asked, a bit confused by Barry's subpar explanation.

"Uh, for the Shaymin," Barry said, the realization of his shoddy attempt to impress with knowledge dawning upon him, "It's called the Gratitude Festival or the Spring Festival, and it happens during, well, spring," he shrugged, "But it's smack in the middle of winter right now, so I guess we'll have to wait a while to see it."

"I get the Spring Festival part, but why is it also called the Gratitude Festival? Is it like y'all are being grateful for the warmth and growth of spring after a cold and harsh winter?" Alyssa questioned with a look of satisfaction about her implicit answer.

But Lucas and Barry shared a quick laugh at her question, much to her disappointment, while they trudged through a particularly dense patch of flowers and undergrowth that mixed with some trees and evergreens that indicated where the meadow began to turn into a forest. The light easily pierced the stray trees here and there where the group walked, but several miles up ahead, there was thick of evergreen cover that indicated the end of Floaroma's isolated paradise and the beginning of the rest of Sinnoh.

"You're reading in too much," Barry laughed before turning and smiling at Alyssa just to show that he wasn't condescending, "You'd make a great English teacher, though. It's also called the Gratitude Festival because the Shaymin are considered the Pokemon symbols of gratitude because they said that if you are grateful or appreciative of what you have around it, pretty little flowers bloom on their hide which makes them look like cute little balls of happiness. And when the tiny Shaymin crawl up next to Gracidea, they change into their mature adult forme, the Sky Forme, before they go off somewhere to live their lives. We have lore here in South Sinnoh that says that if you are truly grateful around the Shaymin and really believe, they'll reward you by giving more of what you were grateful for. Or at least it goes something like that. Lucas is the crazy lore-myth-legend database dude, not me," he joked.

"Says the guy who vomited several paragraphs about one festival in one part of Sinnoh about one particular Pokemon during one particular time of year without stuttering," Lucas shot back, rolling his eyes humorously.

"Do you really believe in it, Barry?" Alyssa asked, a bit of endearment and genuine curiosity in her voice that instantly slowed Barry's pace as he turned to her. Lucas and Dawn too were intrigued by her increased interest in the Shaymin and festival.

"Believe in what?" Barry asked.

"The part about wishes coming true when you're grateful around the Shaymin during the festival. Do you believe it's true?" she asked with a sweet, insisting tone.

"Ha," Barry chuckled, much to Lucas and Dawn's surprise, "If something happens whether or not I believe in it, it's truth. If my belief is supposed to somehow change the outcome, it's pseudoscience," he stated, proud of his quick answer to a seemingly complex and in-depth question. "Here, I'll give you an example," he continued, "If Lucas here is grateful for his quick legs and running skills around the Shaymin and believes that they'll make him faster, that's pseudo-science. If he acknowledges that he'll _still_ never beat me in a race, he knows the truth," he smirked.

"Right, and Barry can acknowledge the truth when he understands that even Arceus can't make him win a Pokemon battle against me," Lucas said with a defiant smile.

"Oh yeah?" Barry said, smiling back as he grabbed Richard's Pokeball, "I think we should have a rematch."

"Another loss might hurt your ego, Ba—" Lucas started before he was interrupted.

"Alright, alright! That's enough! You two will battle each other over _anything_ , huh?" Dawn said with her hands on her hips. "Lucas," she started, turning to him, "I know you and I disagree about whether or not I should like amusement parks, but we'll never know for real if we _never get there_ ," she said with just enough sarcasm to earn a nod and complete attention from him as he smiled and walked to her side.

"We're nearly there, only like a half a mile away until I use Dream-Eater on nightmares of the six-year-old you," he assured.

"Half a mile away? I don't even see any roller-coasters from here," Dawn countered while she scanned the sky for any roller-coaster tracks or peaks that came above and into view.

"Well, you actually can't see it from here, but Barry and I know where we're going."

"Are they all kiddy rides or something?" Dawn asked, half relieved that she may not half to go on any real roller coasters but half embarrassed that she'd be dragged onto children's rides.

"What? No!" Lucas denied, letting out a light chuckle, "The whole amusement park is covered in a Psychic force-field made by Mr. Mimes and Mime Jr.'s, so it looks like nothing is there. Once you get a little closer, all you can see is the ticket booth and park entrance, but _just_ as you're about to enter, the field breaks a little to let you in and… I'm actually not going to spoil the whole experience for you. You have to see it for yourself."

"That's really cool, sounds pretty sick. I still want to know why they made a psychic field, though, and why they use Mimes to make it, and why that matters," she said, utterly puzzled by the bizarre explanation Lucas offered. "I mean, you could: you could use a Mime and make invisible barriers, but _why?_ Why would you do that; why would you do any of that?" she continued with a very skeptical look on her face.

"Because ego problems," Barry shortly answered.

"What?" Alyssa and Dawn both said in surprise.

"What he means is," Lucas began explaining, "the citizens of Floaroma all said that they didn't want the roller coaster to block their view of Sinnoh. Floaroma is on a hill, and, if you've observed, it's primarily populated by people who live half of the year here because they're rich enough to have vacation homes or their own plantations and industries. When these people look out from their homes, they're looking down at most of South Sinnoh: literally. So when PokePark went up about a decade ago, they had a freak-attack over their pristine view of Sinnoh being spoiled. And to fix that issue, we have this whole Mime-psychic-barrier thing. Besides, having an invisible barrier disappear as you enter the park and reveal a whole world of wonder adds to the wow factor, for which they can amp charges up, right? And why use Mimes, you ask? Because they're extra good at making invisible barriers, and they're also really common. It's a lot less economically effective to have Gardevoirs or Mews doing the same job even if they're more powerful, right?"

"I guess that's one way to solve the problem," Dawn said under her breath, rolling her eyes.

"I'd just make the roller coasters out of Flex Tape Clear," Barry joked, to which Lucas began breaking into uncontrollable laughter, "Flex Tape Clear's powerful adhesive is _so_ strong," Barry began in an infomercial actor's voice.

"IT EVEN WORKS UNDERWATER!" the two boys said at the same time, giggling like complete idiots while Alyssa and Dawn stared at the two in disbelief.

"Sometimes I find myself wondering how I like him," Alyssa whispered to Dawn, who had a mock-horrified look on her face.

"Me too," Dawn whispered back, "But would we recognize them if they didn't joke around and do stupid things like that?"

"The whole 'perfect imperfections' thing, right?" Alyssa quietly asked.

"Yep," Dawn nodded.

Fifteen minutes later, the group reached the ticket station, which appeared to be a lone building in the clear acres of the meadow that stretched in almost every direction except for the way they came, just as Lucas said. There was a booth from which the tickets were sold, and a massive line that was divided into many smaller ones, each of which led to a turnstile and a machine that checked the veracity of the ticket and ticket holder before allowing them through, and the whole area was covered by a massive tent which provided shade to the visitors from the mild sun.

" _WOW_ that's a lot of people in one place," Dawn said as she gazed upon the huge number of people in front of her.

"It should give you an idea of how many people are inside PokePark today, and it's a Thursday," Lucas replied.

"Okay, I'm actually kind of excited to see what's inside," Dawn said with excited glow in her eyes.

"Only of kind of?" Alyssa questioned with a sly smile.

"Alyssa, I haven't even _seen_ the rides. How excited can I really be?" Dawn laughed back.

They arrived at the park entrance line a few minutes later, the humdrum of excited visitors and children all wearing various Pokemon gear, hats, clothing, and other kinds of playful merchandise, eagerly waiting to go inside the park. Although hundreds of people were waiting at once to go inside, the park effectively managed the flow of the incoming people by having many different turnstiles that could verify and enter ticket-holders at once. Although a dozen people entered the park every thirty to forty seconds, almost the same amount entered the back of the line as they left while only half left the park from the exit gate, all of whom were likely to come back after a quick meal or lunch break.

Now that they were closer, Alyssa and Dawn could see exactly what Lucas and Barry meant by the invisible barrier made by the Mimes. Every time a ticket holder submitted a ticket to be read and verified, a man at the turnstiles would scan it. Once a little green light appeared, the turnstile would be unlocked, allowing them to pass through, but in front of them, the invisible barrier would slowly dissolve away, letting the inside of the park and its active, vibrant people, rides, and noises seep out before it would close again. like the cell wall of an amoeba, into an invisible barrier once the person went inside.

Alyssa and Dawn stood almost gaping at the elaborate mechanism meant to keep the park off detection before Lucas interrupted them. "Alright," he started, "I'll go get tickets for the four of us, so how about you three wait in line?" he suggested.

"Why don't we all just go get tickets and then stand in line together?" Dawn asked, not wanting to leave Lucas alone.

"Have you seen the line for getting tickets?" Barry jokingly asked, pointing to the line behind the ticket booth that was almost as long as the line to get inside the park itself. "Trust me, the best way to do this is to split and meet up later," he said with a tone of wisdom, something uncharacteristic for somebody so speedy and compulsive, but perhaps someone so speedy and compulsive has wisdom about amusement parks, which are designed to foster such qualities.

"Fine, I'm going with him, and you two can wait here," Dawn happily said, already starting to the ticket booth when Lucas simply shrugged and followed behind her. Although both lines were large, they moved at a quick and efficient pace. In fifteen minutes, all four were able to pass through the gates and into the park. Lucas and Barry didn't seem to buy into any of the wow factor, walking only a few yards into from the entrance with a map of the park in Barry's hands and a pen from Lucas' bag as they marked up the rides, routes, park restaurants, shops, and attractions to hit before the day's end.

"If we do this _my_ way, we'll hit all the rides and important stuff while the rush is still low, and the we can spend the rest of the day messing around and going on all the rides again," he proudly stated to Lucas, using the clicky side of the pen to point at several rides all over various sectors of the park.

"And if we do it _your_ way, we'll have to go at the speed of sound. You're not _supposed_ to hit all the main attractions before lunch. It's more fun if you go at a regular pace and chill, you know. Besides wait times can increase at any time, which'll mean we'll need to move to different rides at different ends of the park at different times! Remember what happened the last time we tried this?" Lucas countered, grabbing the pen from Barry.

"Fine! We should start at the back of the park and ride the Fire Type or Dragon rides first."

"What? No! That'll waste time! Plus, we should ride the Fairy Type rides first so Dawn can get used to roller coasters. They're a little slow and easy, so it'll build her confidence."

"Dawn's scared of roller coasters?"

"Yeah," he said, scratching this head, "but she won't be for long. Heck, _I_ used to be scared of roller coasters, until I came to PokePark, though."

"Yeah, I remember. But the first you ride you got on was Creation Trio, a _Dragon Type_ ride."

Alyssa and Dawn had a wholly different experience when they entered. For them, the mystique and sense of grand adventure the park presented fully sank in, and once the moved through the hole in the barrier, they were wholly stunned, strolling forward almost absentmindedly as they gazed at the massive peaks of nearly countless rollercoasters before them. So many rides, tracks, games, and attractions were strung together that it was hard or even Dawn's sharp eyes to detect where one coaster's tracks ended and the other coaster's tracks started. Loops, drops, corkscrews, descents, twirls, and everything in-between were painted in the colors of candy as they glistened in the sun of the Floaroma meadow. Trainers began to let their Pokemon leap out of their Pokeballs, letting their excited companions experience the joyous atmosphere of the park with them. The two girls, spun around in a circle, looking at the expansive and imperial scale of the park, the excitement, and the thrill around them. The sun lit the paved brick path and the shops before them perfectly, as the smell of churros and the heavenly aura of cotton candy tugged at their taste buds while people in various Pokemon costumes were taking pictures with their kids.

They suddenly and instinctively, however, ducked as the dark shadow of an avian creature passed overhead. Both smiled as they realized it was a Talonflame which flapped vigorously until it gently landed on another girl's waiting arm. Once it stopped moving, a Haunter suddenly appeared out of the ground from the bird's shadow, causing Alyssa and Dawn to slightly jump in surprise. The girl quickly recalled the Haunter with a smile, and the purplish floating ghost went its Pokeball happily. The Talonflame took off again, this time jetting over the peaks and through the loops of various rides with ease as it twirled and danced with awe-inspiring acrobatics.

"I didn't know you could let your Pokemon out of your Pokeball here," Dawn said with an exuberant smile.

"Me neither, but I'm lettin' one of mine out," Alyssa replied with equal energy, "Alright, Julia!" She released her little Eevee out of her Pokeball as it landed gracefully, shaking its thick fur and letting out a cute bark.

"Me too, I guess," Dawn smiled as she let out Hazel, laughing as the little Monferno began chasing the bushy tail of a slightly annoyed Julia all around the brick floor. Dawn took another gander at the massive, rolling peaks and crests of the roller coasters all around her before looking back in front of her almost immediately, something which Alyssa noticed.

"Ya' 'fraid of roller coasters?" she smiled knowingly.

"Um, yeah," Dawn almost sheepishly said.

"Hey, no worries. Most people are, at least until they actually go on one."

"That's the thing, I _have_ been on one. That's why I'm scared."

"Well I guess we're gonna see what's bigger: your fear of thrill rides, or your love of Lucas?"

"Wha—hey!" Dawn exclaimed with a fake frown as she felt to the heat rise to her cheeks. She rolled her eyes before she turned to Lucas and Barry, who seemed to have reached a compromise on their plans and seemed to work in furiously efficient cooperation to sketch a route of what they should do for the whole day. "Hey! You guys gonna stick your head in the map all day or—"

"Yeah, yeah, hold on!" they both said at once with a tone of slight irritation that showed that they were much too involved in their work to see a Tauros come charging at them.

"I have a bad feeling that we're going to have to get used this from them," Dawn said with her hands on her hips.

"Says who?" Alyssa slyly smiled before she turned to Lucas and Barry. "Ahem, Baaaaary?" she called, letting her country accent flow freely as she sweetly stretched the only vowel in Barry's name to the point where you could make pretzels with it.

Lucas continued to work away at the map unaffected, drawing lines between the Charizard X ride and the Creation Trio Ride. "Hey Barry, we should…" he trailed as he looked up from the map to see Barry wasn't there anymore. "What the—" he said as he raised his head up to look around when he realized where Barry had gone. "I guess we'll have to improvise the rest for the rest of the day," he sighed, realizing there was no bringing Barry back once Alyssa had thrown him into a trance as he stuffed the half-scribbled-on map into his jacket pocket. He made a quick dash over to the rest of the group, pulling his map out of his pocket one more time to memorize the layout before stuffing it in his pockets.

"Was that a treasure map to a pile of gold?" Dawn sarcastically asked, gesturing to Lucas' pocket with the map.

"Uh, no…" he trailed, "Why?"

"Ugh, you plan for things too much," she smiled as she grabbed his arm, "You should improvise once in a while and not get yourself obsessed with cartography," she continued, dragging him with her as they caught up to Alyssa and Barry, who were already making their way to the Fairy type rides.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Lucas started, shaking himself from the uncomfortably passive experience that was being dragged by Dawn, " _You're_ the one who's never been on a roller coaster before, or at least is scared of them, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"I don't know, shouldn't you _not_ want to improvise and randomly try things here?"

"Well, I promised myself I'm going to try roller coasters for real today, just because you asked me too," her tone moving from jovial to almost endearing, "I know you're thinking we should ride the kiddie rides or some of the easier rides first so I'll ease into it, but I think I'll start off running."

"R-really?" Lucas asked, surprised by her monumental shift in attitude over a short course of time. "Are you… sure?" he asked a bit of hesitance: he didn't want to sound like he was questioning her courage. _Please say yes. Please say yes._ Lucas fervently thought. _I don't want to go on the fucking Fairy rides._

"Oh yeah, I'm sure," she said with the slightest quiver in her voice, "Yeah, I can do this," she said after a deep breath. "Where to first, Lucas?"

"Well," he said with a bright smile, "thank you for being brave because that means we can skip the Fairy rides."

"Fairy rides?" she asked, unsure if Lucas knew what he was saying or was saying complete nonsense while thinking about something else.

"This park has a specialty. Well, it has a lot, but one of them is that all of the rides are divided up in different parts all over the park as different 'type rides'. Each type has a theme to match, and they're different styles of rides to match that theme. There are like ten types that this park has, and the PokeParks in other regions have their own type rides."

"Okay, then I have two questions: what types are here at _this_ park, which ones are good, and why do you hate the Fairy type rides? Although, I'm pretty sure I know the answer to the last one."

"That's three questions, Dawn," Lucas said, missing her intentions to point the technical error.

"Doh, you get the point," she laughed, rolling her eyes, "Just answer the questions.

"Okay, let's see if I can list off the types: Dragon, Fire, Water, Grass, Steel, Electric, Flying, Dark, Rock, and…" he sighed at the end, "Fairy. Dragon, Fire, Steel, and Flying are probably the best type groups for rides, since they have the fastest, most explosive, and thrilling rides, but… and it's hard to say this, the Fairy type area of the park has pretty good shows and parades towards the end of the day," he quickly finished.

"Ah, you're forgetting the last question!" Dawn exclaimed, wagging her finger at him. "How can you hate a Fairy type, Lucas? They're so cute! Have you ever seen a Cutiefly before?! They're so _adorable_!"

"That's the problem! How can something… so small, so squishy, so… not intimidating, be super-effective against and immune to something so awesome as a Garchomp or Dragonite?! That's… wrong. And _that's_ why I hate Fairy types and the Fairy rides: because when it comes to cute versus cool, cute shouldn't win. Oh, and the Fairy rides are basically kiddy rides, and there's only a few sorts of roller coaster looking rides…?" he trailed off at the end as he tried to find an apt description for Dawn, "I can't think of a good way to explain them, other than saying that they're dinky, sparkly, and boring."

"Wow, that was blunt," Dawn said, throwing her eyebrows up in surprise.

"You wanted the truth," Lucas said, trying to justify the harshness of what he said.

"Well, what would do if I raised an adorable, cute Fairy type, and beat you in a Pokemon battle, hmm?" she asked him, trying to pin his attitudes.

"No offense, Dawn, but fat chance. Caesar's gonna evolve into an Empoleon, and Prometheus is gonna evolve into a Charizard, and both of them are good against Fairy types. So… maybe that Fairy type will be better suited for contests than battles against me."

"Oh, we'll see. If I beat you, you have to admit that Fairy types are awesome Pokemon," she said with a confident smirk as they walked side-by-side with Barry and Alyssa who were lost in their own conversations.

"Fine, you have a deal. And if I win, you have to admit Arceus should have never made Fairy types in the first place."

"That's a bit dramatic, don't you think?"

"Yeah, you're right. But you should at least admit that they shouldn't be _immune_ to Dragon type attacks."

"I'll give you that much, sure, but only if I lose," she smiled as they reached the first major junction of the park. Both sides of the road they were walking on had restaurants, shops, and booths decorating them completely, while children and their parents took pictures with the Pokemon-themed decorations and people in Pokemon costumes. Ahead of them, a pole in the center of the junction had six different signs pointing to the six various roads that split off from where the group was in the junction to various areas of the park.

"Okay," Barry started, "Let's go to the Fai—"

"No!" Lucas vehemently interjected, before clearing his throat to mask his excitement as an accident, "I mean, Dawn just told me that she doesn't want to go the Fairy Type rides, so why don't we just go straight to the other areas of the park," he said, looking at the signs, "Let's just take a quick vote: Fire, Water, Grass, Dark, and Dragon are what we have left to see from here."

"Wait, where are the rest of the of type areas, then?" Dawn asked.

"They're deeper in the park. It's like when you unlock new areas in the videogames after playing old ones. When we go to one of these six type areas, we can go see more deeper in the park behind them and loop back to revisit the other ones later."

"Where do we go first, then?" Alyssa asked, a bit fed up with the bureaucratic pace of the decision-making.

"Dragon" Lucas, Barry, and Dawn all said at once before having a quick laugh at the coincidence.

"Wait, what rides do they have at there?" Dawn immediately asked, not knowing what she just agreed to as the group began walking where the sign directed them to.

"They have the Mega Charizard X, the Dragonite, the Garchomp, and, my favorite, the Creation Trio. The Garchomp and Creation Trio are, by far, the coolest rides they have in this part, but I think we should start with something like the Dragonite or Charizard, that way you won't explode on your first ride," he finished, chuckling before he abruptly stopped after seeing Dawn's slightly fed-up expression.

"Eh, you're right," she agreed, her expression changing into a smile. "But we shouldn't we just get on whichever one has the shortest line right now?" she questioned, half of her wanting to go on the biggest ride in the park and half of her seeing certain death for doing so.

"She's got a point," Barry agreed, "The line for the Creation Trio will be like an hour and half later on in the day, which means that it's good if we go right now," he said, gesturing to the ride, clearly visible over the rest as its rails intersected and danced in what was clearly the most expansive and elaborate rollercoaster design of the park.

Dawn almost gulped when she saw the ride in the distance, although the bottom half was obscured by evergreen trees that lined the borders between each section of the park. There actually were three different rails—black, blue, and pink—that all ran past, over, around, and almost directly into each other before aligning in perfect parallels for a drop that became a corkscrew near the bottom, although the trees covered the view from there. _I'm going to do it…_ She reassured herself while she shuddered to gaze upon the massive ride.

The three didn't spend too much time getting to the ride, although Barry and Alyssa made a quick stop for churros while Dawn and Lucas went in to hold a spot in line before them. It was a Thursday, and considering that he'd only been there on weekends, Lucas was glad that they'd decided to come on a day that didn't have too much of a rush. He gazed with a smile around him, admiring all he could from his somewhat mitigated view from his spot in line, but it was enough for him. The place was an archetypical example of Sinnoh's best, the region's signature in a microcosm. Just like in the park, you couldn't escape the cheer and hospitality. In a world where harsh winters and brutal environments beat down on people annually, Lucas knew how much the people appreciated the warmth of kindness from their neighbor. Like the roller-coasters in the park, Sinnoh's land rose to sky-shattering peaks and falls just as fast into the sea, forming hills, valleys, tunnels, caves, and marvelous formations of the earth that seem to fool the mind into thinking the land was sculpted by hands. And though everyone was excited and enjoying the thrills around them, there was a signature air of professionalism. Sinnohans relax, but they never lay back: it's simply not an option in their system. They work competitively, they thrive deliberately, and they relax with intensity: almost as if every choice, every word that came from them was a surgically placed stone on an ultimate path.

"Hey, Lucas," Dawn said, tapping his shoulder as she broke his train of thought, "Are there… three different coasters on this ride?" she said, gazing up at the massive loops and heights of the coaster with a bit of fear in her eyes.

"Three different tracks, yes," he nonchalantly replied.

"What? Why? What's different about each one?"

The line moved forward a little and Lucas began speaking as they moved forward with it, "Each coaster is supposed to represent the three Creation deities: Dialga, Palkia, and—"

"—Giratina, yeah, I know."

"Right, so the black one is Giratina. It's the one with all the loops, turns, twists, and inversions," he said, gesturing at what was clearly the most intricate and elaborate set of rails. "It's easily the most maneuverable and agile of the three coasters, and it's the best one to go on at night because you can't see your rails, but you can see the rails of the other two coasters all around you."

"Yeah, not that one," Dawn said with a nervous shiver.

"Well, we could go on the pink one: that's for Palkia. You go the whole ride upside down. In reverse. With massive near-vertical drops."

"Why do people get on that?" Dawn sarcastically asked, although her concern made it sound as though her concern was genuine. "It's like you're paying for suicide."

"Well, the _last_ one," Lucas began with a bit more enthusiasm as he pointed to bright, blue rails that flowed alongside, through, and around the other black and pink rails, "Is for Dialga. Do you want to know what it's like to go from zero to a hundred and back to zero in 5 seconds?"

"No."

"Doesn't matter, you will. It goes on loops, corkscrews, and the regular roller coaster course, but the speed and the time it takes to travel them rapidly change."

 _How is this one better than the other two? I'll die on all three of them._ Dawn worriedly thought as she bit her nails. "What is it about near-death experiences that makes you so excited?"

"Your answer is in the question," he said, shrugging, " _near-death_." It's fun to go all the way to the edge and come back. Look," he started with a different tone this time as he nervously placed a hand on her shoulder, "If you don't like, then it's on me, but at least give it a shot. For me," he softly pleaded.

"I-I'll try it," she said back with a short smile, "but you can't try to make me like it," she quickly followed, to which Lucas raised his hands and nodded.

"I promise, Dawn. I won't," he gently smiled.

"Hey! Lucas, Dawn!" Barry shouted behind the line that formed while he and Alyssa went to get some food. They pardoned and excused their way through until they finally reached Lucas and Dawn, handing them each a sweet churro. Lucas snatched his out of Barry's hand like a ravenous beast while Dawn gently took hers from Alyssa, politely thanking her with a smile while Lucas already began tearing into its sweet flesh.

"So what were you guys talking about?" Alyssa inquisitively asked. Lucas looked at her guiltily as his cheeks were greedily stuffed with churro: he wanted to talk but stupidly couldn't, but instead watched Dawn.

"We were just talking about how this ride works, and how there were really three different versions of the ride that you could take. My pick is Dialga," she said, giving a knowing glance at Lucas with one of her heart-melting smiles.

"Oh that's awesome! Barry and I were talking about the same thing, too!" Alyssa exclaimed, "I think that the Dialga is a good choice to start with she agreed while Barry slightly nodded, his eyebrow subtly raised at Lucas who simply rolled his eyes back at him.

Several minutes later, the group had reached the end of the line where the line split into three, each leading to a different boarding zone that loaded passengers onto one of the three rides. All four moved past the turnstiles as a park employee gave directions and controls for incoming and exiting passengers while the segments of the coaster rolled in. The coaster for Dialga had a dark blue body on each of the carts lined with dazzling blue strips of LED lights along the corners and sides, aesthetically representing the mythical Pokemon. Each cart had two seats, and there were eight carts lined together in one coaster. The line split again into eight parts, each part leading to a different cart on a coaster.

"Front row or back row?" Lucas asked Dawn while he looked on at the final line division ahead of him.

"Front row," Dawn said with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Really? You'll go front row?" Lucas said with surprised excitement.

"Yeah, I will. If I'm going to try this, I might as well try it the way you want me to, she kindly said with a nervous smile.

"That's great, ya'll sit in the back and Dawn and I can take the front row," Alyssa chimed in immediately while Barry and Lucas looked a bit confused.

"I, um, no offense, Alyssa, but I think I'd like to go with… Lucas," Dawn bluntly stated with a slight blush.

Alyssa seemed to take no hard feeling from the statement at all and shot a knowing smile at Dawn, as though she just wanted to hear what Dawn said out loud. "Oh, I didn't know y'all planned that. Then I'll go with Barry," said while she quickly grabbed his arm, paralyzing him still in a way that Lucas hoped he didn't look when he was close to Dawn.

The next set of carts rolled in and the gates opened, giving the four a chance to board carts after the exiting passengers disembarked on the other side of the platform. Dawn and Lucas sat side-by-side in the front row as the lap bar came down on the, clicking with each centimeter it moved down until it had solidly stuck above Lucas' lap. Lucas carefully and almost subconsciously buckled his seatbelt whereas Dawn fumbled hastily for hers as though she were on a plane taking a steep angle into the ocean in the next few seconds.

A few moments later, one of the employees came by and did a quick safety check before the operator gave the thumbs up and commenced the ride. The coaster moved out of the station, taking a sharp right onto an elevated track with treads that helped to carry the coasters up to the top of the ride.

A rhythmic _click-clack_ noise could be heard as the carts crawled up the track, the ground and fields below them becoming more and more distant, more and more expansive in their vision. Dawn took a quick glance to the side of her view before shuddering at the massive, mile-long stretches of fields that stretched in almost every direction she could see, caressing and flowing with the landscape, each flower dwarfed by the combined wave and sparkled of millions around it, leaving Dawn feeling insignificant and uncomfortably small as she quickly diverted her eyes to the track in front of her and then into the cart, moving her hands around as she tried to look for something.

"Did you drop something in here?" Lucas asked, kicked back and relaxed as he could be while he noticed Dawn frantically searching.

"No, I'm looking for a bar, or a rod, or anything I can hold onto, really," she worriedly sighed.

"Hey, just hold onto the lap bar," he kindly gestured.

"Nah, it's not really comfortable for me," she candidly said, showing that her arms would have to be in a weirdly bent in shape to hold on.

"Well, you can just try to—" The coaster suddenly began accelerating at a breakneck pace up the elevated track, the _click-clack_ of the escalating track becoming a near hum as they were shot up the climb by a magnetic strip that lined the track, throwing all of the passengers into the back of their seats with a heavy slam.

A wheezing "Nyeh," was all Dawn could manage herself to get out before she felt the thud of her back hitting the seat. "Lucas," she managed to say in between heaving breaths of terror, "I'm going to… strangle…"

"Yeah, uh, strangle that lap bar soon or you're entrails are going to strangle the rails after the next turn," he said with a wickedly casual smile.

Dawn's eyes widened to the size of planets as she looked with horror down the track. The coaster wasn't over the incline yet, but after a several hundred-foot drop it _immediately_ went into a ridiculously sharp-curved funnel loop. She quickly flailed her arms around the little car, before taking a fearful gulp a the roller coaster flew over the first apex, still accelerating at significant speeds over the top. "Wait, wait what the f—" she tried to say before she was cut off by her slamming up into the lap-bar and back down in her seat as the coaster went from quick upward velocity into complete downward velocity in a fraction of a second, making a deadly fast approach the funnel up ahead while magnetic strips seemed to aide gravity in accelerating the cart.

She took only a quick glance around her. _"I can't believe I talked myself into this. If I don't hold onto something fast…"_ she thought to herself before finally settling on what she was looking for. _"Please don't kill me, Lucas."_ She closed her eyes, felt the coaster gather even more speed as the wind streamlined and raised her long, brownish-black hair, and threw her arms around Lucas, squeezing him into a smitten shock.

He didn't say a word. He didn't know what to say or think as he blanked out in the middle of perhaps one of his most favorite thrill experiences in the world. Nothing registered in his mind. Not the speed. Not the wind. Not his gut preparing for the familiar lurch during the funnel ahead. Nothing except for Dawn's cool touch on his arms as she held tightly, burrowing her face into his right shoulder.

In that moment, maybe for a split-second, he felt something. Guilt. He wished that he didn't drag her with him into something she didn't want, and he wished he wasn't such a stiff-necked idiot. _"Oh, just look at her,"_ he thought calmly as the coaster entered the intense turn of the funnel. It went from over 90 miles per hour to a about 45 in a second, all while in the middle of the funnel turn, so it could safely go through without pulling too many Gs on its passengers. But the rapid braking, acceleration, turning on different axes and planes: they meant nothing to him. _"Don't worry, Dawn,"_ he softly said in his head, wrapping his arms around her protectively, gently, as the rollercoaster dramatically picked up speed again, this time accelerating to almost a 100 miles per hour through a corkscrew turn. Like a bullet moving through the barrel, the coaster jetted out of the corkscrew with deadly intense velocity and streamline as it hit the next set of rails.

There were screams of thrill and excitement all around him: people having their brains pushed to the brink of fear and back through each turn, twist, and loop, but Lucas simply sat there, gently embracing an occasionally screaming Dawn as the rollercoaster varied through a dangerous variety of speeds in the middle of stunts.

The ride then went into the apex: a massive loop almost a kilometer in diameter. Entering in from a downwards corkscrew, the ride accelerated to tremendous speeds as it went up into the loop, before a vertigo-inducing series of brakes screeched the coaster to a slow roll at the top of the loop. Lucas grimaced a bit as Dawn's nails dug into his coat, her eyes squeezed shut while the roller-coaster seemed to _barely_ have enough velocity to go through the apex of the loop before the familiar _clickity-clack_ of the rails increased in frequency as it rocketed down again and out of the loop before gently gliding into port.

Lucas simply rearranged and patted his wind-ruffled hair as the lap bar raised itself automatically. Dawn slowly unclenched her grip on Lucas, took a quick look around, and seeing the ride had stopped, collected herself quickly as though there was someone hurrying her out of the ride.

She hastily scrambled out of the side, stepping on Lucas' foot in the process as she quickly began walking to the exit queue on the other side of the tracks. "Hey!" Lucas shouted as he ran to her, "Where are you even going so quickly?! Don't you want to see your picture?" he laughed, knowing that she would _probably_ wouldn't want to see herself terrified for her life. " _I think I'll buy a picture,"_ he smiled to himself, _"That was… an experience,"_ he thought as he remembered Dawn squeezing him in an embrace, sending a funny feeling up his spine.

He took a small diversion down the exit route Dawn had gone down, stopping at a little shop that had TV screens of each of the passengers in the carts during the first and final drops of the ride. Lucas had to keep himself from bursting out laughing when he saw the first one. He was the little gray man in that one: he blended in with the rest of the crowd with his dull-colored blue jacket, enthusiastic face, and thrilled exuberance that radiated from his thrown hands and vibrant expression. Dawn… was a spectacle on her own, however. Her arms were twisted around the lap bar like a Seviper, her eyes were miles wide in absolute fear, and her teeth were showing but clenched tightly shut as she seemed to grasp the lap bar as tightly as she could to keep from flying out of the coaster.

The second picture, however: it was different. He wasn't the little gray man anymore, and she wasn't as terrified. There she was, desperately but successfully seeking refuge in his jacket, arms wrapped around him, while his own arms shielded her like he had iron wings. There was, strangely, a bit of peace in that picture despite everyone else's chaotic thrill. You could have switched the background in for a comfy couch beside a fireplace and a window that revealed a chilled and barren winter Sinnoh outside, but you would have perfectly believed that it was a real picture. _You need to see yourself, Dawn. You're the prettiest girl on Earth._

"I'd like to buy those two pictures," he politely told the store clerk, gesturing to the pictures on the TV displays.

"Both of them?" the clerk asked, trying to affirm Lucas' request.

"Yeah."

"Okay, that'll be 21 each, so 42 Pokedollars," the clerk said with a smile back.

 _"_ _21 EACH! Are they out of their minds?!"_ Lucas thought to himself furiously, cursing amusement park price schemes as he pulled out his wallet to examine what remained of the leftovers of his money from the Gym victory after he spent most of it to pay for his mother's monthly expenses and the tickets for the amusement park itself.

"Here," he said, almost reluctantly handing over the bills, leaving enough for himself and Dawn to buy one more meal.

"Thank you for your purchase!" the cashier said, receiving the cash in one hand while receiving the printouts of the documents from a printer underneath the counter in another, quickly placing the money in the register and gingerly handing the photos to Lucas. Lucas gave a quick smile, and headed back onto the main exit route. _I hope Dawn didn't get too far. I didn't tell her I stopped for photos._

He was on his way out when he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder, causing him to rapidly turn around and continue to walk down the exit while facing backwards. "There you are!" Barry said with some relief as Alyssa politely squeezed her way through other passengers headed to the exits and caught up with them. "I saw you leaving the photo booth, so I caught up to you. Say, can I see those—" he said, reaching for the photos before Lucas raised them out of his reach just as Alyssa caught up to them.

"No. Well, not yet. I have to show them to Dawn first," Lucas firmly stated back with a smile.

"Oooo, a surprise for the girl, eh?" Alyssa giggled.

"Wha—no! It's just… something for her to see," Lucas stammered blushing. "Anyway, I was there buying photos, but what took you two so long?" he quickly asked, diverting the topic like a ricocheted bullet.

"Oh, she forgot her handbag in the little compartment thingy in the coaster, and they almost sent the coaster back on the rails again so we had to ask them to stop it so she could go pick it up before somebody boarded," Barry matter-of-factly stated.

"Lucky save," Lucas nodded.

"Yep, I would've lost it had Barry not reminded me," Alyssa smiled, grabbing Barry's long, orange-striped-sleeved arm.

It took only a minute or so for them to reach the exit from there, and all three of them began to search for any sign of Dawn in the vicinity. After a minute and no sign of Dawn, Lucas began to feel a bit concerned. "Where could she have gone so fast? Did she… leave?" he began to panic, worrying that he might have scared her away or frightened her out of her mind.

"No, no, she's probably just in the bathroom. She's not a big fan of these here fancy coasters and whatnot, so she's probably… relieving nausea," Alyssa insisted. "I'm sure she's right here some—"

"There!" Lucas shouted, a quick grin appearing and fading form his face as he saw Dawn sitting alone on a massive, flat stone bench that bordered the entire entrance area of the ride and the main amusement park pathway that ran alongside it. Her had was hanging down, and her arms seemed limp: something was bothering her.

"Dawn!" Lucas called out, waving at her as he got closer. She quickly perked her head up, waved back with a polite smile, and hung her head down again, this time with some difficulty. She tried to get up, but seeing her unease, Lucas gestured for her to stay sitting as he slid beside her, the photos hidden behind his back so she couldn't see them yet. "Sorry I left you there for second, Dawn. There was a quick delay, but now I'm here!" he happily joked. Seeing as she had no meaningful reaction, he began to slowly reveal his concern for her. "Hey, Dawn. Is something bothering you?" he said in a lower, softer tone than when he usually spoke. "If it's the coaster we don't have to go on anymore, I promise. Just tell me if you're feeling sick or something," he calmly reassured her.

"I-I'm fine," she managed to say, somewhat clutching her stomach although not fully, "It's just that I'm not _super_ used to this, and I've never been so physically…terrified," she bluntly said, her head now raised. "Nothing a little water can't fix," she smiled softly at him, hoping to ease his concern as Alyssa handed her a flask from which she took a few quick sips before smiling shyly at Lucas again. "You know, Lucas, I think the ride is—"

"Nope, wait. Don't tell me yet. First, you need to see these," he said, pulling out the pictures from behind his back. "I just bought these while you, uh, went ahead," he said with a semi-guilty feeling, hoping she wouldn't get angry, or even worse, feel awkwardly, about the pictures. Dawn had a chuckle at herself looking absolutely petrified in the first photograph. "I look like I've seen some shit," she laughed, showing the picture to Alyssa and Barry, who tried to politely, but failed, hide their giggles. "I hope my kids never find this one!"

She then gingerly moved the photo to the back, revealing the next one. The smile seemed to go from her face almost immediately. She wasn't serious, she wasn't angry, but she certainly wasn't smiling, and Lucas felt a chill race along his spine. She ran a slow finger over a hair that fell on the picture, smiling a little, and then smiling heartfully while her cheeks began to compete with the sunset for hue. "I guess even I have to like rollercoasters at some point, huh?" she said to Lucas, still smiling at the picture in front of her.

Barry curled his bottom lip downward, somewhat impressed, before he motioned to Lucas by pretending to wrap one of his arms around Alyssa.

Lucas got the message without making much direct eye-contact with him, and ever so _gently_ , so cautiously, placed his hands around Dawn's shoulder, scooting closer to her.

She leaned onto his chest, breathing a sigh of relief, of relaxation, as she held the picture in one hand and his hand as it reached over her shoulder in the other. "I'd go on a thousand rollercoasters to feel that again," she sighed softly to Lucas.

 _"_ _Heh, smooth motherfucker,"_ Barry thought to himself, impressed by Lucas' now competent approaches to the one situation he'd always burn up. _"I would'a never thought—"_

He was interrupted mid-thought, however, as Alyssa pulled his hand across her own shoulder. "You don't have to _pretend_ to do that just to give Lucas a hint, you know?" she smiled.

Barry needed a second to process what she did and how she knew he gave him the hint when he pretended to wrap his arm _behind_ her back. "Your, um, not _not_ okay with this?" he sputtered like a dying car engine.

Alyssa simply rolled her eyes with a smug smile. _"You tell me, Barry."_

 **Okay… I'm gonna keep writing. I SWEAR! I will. I finally found a way to make the whole thing work so, I'm gonna post! You have my word. The next chapter is mainly not gonna be a 3/4ths filler chapter like this one, I promise. I got plans for Lucas, and I got plans for Barry and Dawn, so expect some… escalation.**


	18. Chapter 18: To Hunt or Hide

**I can't thank you guys enough for all of the reviews on the last chapter, so I've done my best to make some improvements. There is some more exposition and filler in this chapter, mainly because I want to set some important motives, characters, and plot threads before shit goes down in the next one. Anyway, I always appreciate it when you guys leave a review on these stories (I read em all and I can't tell you how helpful every bit of feedback is!)**

Chapter 18: To Hunt or Hide

"Let's go again! We _have_ to go again!" Dawn squealed with excitement as she and Lucas exited from their fifth rollercoaster and sixth ride that day. She and Lucas were somewhat wet from a water ride they'd been on previously, but she really didn't care. On every drop, on every turn, and on loop they'd hit on the ride, she'd lean into Lucas, knowing that he wouldn't say a thing. She'd gotten over her fear, but even if he knew that she didn't want to say it.

After lunch at one of the small restaurants in the park, the four decided to go to only four more areas of the park: it was getting late and the two girls had contests the next day. Completely exhausting themselves at an amusement park, although satisfying, was not exactly a good choice they could take. Dawn bought a couple more ride pictures, laughing at herself and Lucas screaming their hearts on each ride, especially the Talonflame ride where jets of fire sprung around them from inside a cavern from which the coaster fell nearly 100 feet. Her hair was flying right behind her as she had a grinning yelp on her face while Lucas simply gritted his teeth and latched onto the lap bar in front of him. Dawn hadn't laughed or had that much fun in a while, in an amusement park of all places, too. She couldn't put her joy into words, her relief after a year's worth of boredom and loneliness shattered as she finally released her true self out to play. _"I'll make it up to you, Lucas. I promise that."_

Barry and Alyssa bought the four some cotton candy and drinks before heading to the exit of the park next to the entrance from which they came. "I take it I've changed your mind on rollercoasters, Dawn?" Lucas asked with a happy smile.

"I think PokePark did all of the heavy lifting, don't you think?" she joked back. "But seriously," she started, her tone becoming soft and genuine, "Thank you. You don't know what it means to me to have that much fun, especially with you three."

"I knew we needed a break like that. All four of us will be grinding for next year. You two for that top coordinator slot while I grind for champion and Barry grinds for second place. We don't know when we'll get to relax and throw the weight off of our shoulders again, right?" Lucas replied.

"Oh, get off of your high Rapidash, Lucas. We both know I'll deck you once we're in the League," Barry chuckled.

"Doesn't look like it so far. Ain't that right—"

"Lucas, your five o'clock," Barry suddenly and silently interrupted, motioning towards two men in irritatingly bright blue bowl cuts slicing through the crowd, pushing, shoving, and hustling at an aggressive pace far beyond that of the exit line.

"We need to get out of here," Lucas quickly said, picking up his pace and grabbing Dawn's hand while Barry grabbed Alyssa's, leaving the two girls wholly but happily surprised. "We can't keep fighting them. We're gonna have to pop off the radar and save ourselves some time to think and crack what the fuck is up with these dudes and chasing us. How did they even know we were here?"

"I don't know, but I agree. We need to leave here as fast as we can."

Dawn and Alyssa began to catch on to the heightened fear and intensity the two boys were showing. "Hey, um, Lucas. What's wrong?" she nervously asked. "Did I… do something?"

"No, no, you're good. We're being followed by Galactic goons. Well, they haven't found us yet but we know they're looking," he reassured, knowing that what he said offered no real reassurance to her.

"What? Where are they? How'd they find us?" Alyssa asked.

"They're about right behind us now, but don't make it so obvious when you look back," Lucas warned, "I have no idea how they found us either, but for now, we best get out of here and get some stuff in order."

"Yeah," Dawn said, picking up her pace as she held onto Lucas' arm with both hands. Barry kept a subtle but continuous watch on the approaching threats behind them while Lucas and Alyssa asked some of the crowd to give them a way to the exits because they "had someplace they had to be urgently". Fortunately, most of the people in line were kind enough to give them some room to the exit, and they made it out in a few minutes but not before Barry suddenly lost sight of the grunts.

"Lucas," Dawn started nervously as they left the park through the Mime-gate, "m-maybe we should fight them."

The four kept walking briskly despite her request. "No, we can't," Lucas replied, "We can't get what information and strategy we need simply by smashing our heads against theirs every time we meet. There has to be a smarter way out of this for us. One that does not make us bigger targets for them," he sternly said, contemplating a solution for his statement. "Besides, you and Alyssa have a contest tomorrow."

"That doesn't matter as much as whatever these scums are up to. I don't know what kind of damage they might do to innocent people," she said with more concern this time. "Lucas," she started again, pulling on his arm and halting him and the rest as her eyes showed genuine unease in leaving silently, "Those… animals tried to v-violate me, they tried to kill you, and they already k-killed a man," she stammered somewhat ferociously. "You can't just leave here."

"Think about it for a second, dammit!" Lucas curtly said, "They're not here for anyone else. No way. There are no financial or industrial resources at that park, and there are no targets or personalities that they might want except for us. If we run now, we ruin their plan and have a chance to try to spend some time to piece this shit together and see where these fuckers are headed too. I mean, we're battling these people with life and limb and we have no real idea of what they're doing, why they're doing it, who's helping them. For fuck's sake, we don't even have any real _names_ other than that mid-ranking Mars bitch!" he thundered, this time with the anger towards Galactic bleeding into his words, startling Dawn. "We need to head back, Dawn. We can talk to Arthur on the day after tomorrow and sort out as much as we can about these guys. The government won't, or it can't, help us right now. Roark confirmed that. Taking them on now is just shooting ourselves in the foot." He paused for a moment before continuing, "I-I can't let anything happen to you, Dawn. Not again," he said as he reached for her hand, but she simply pulled away, frightened by his sudden outburst.

"Just… Let's just go home," she yielded, making a fist with her hands.

"Dawn, I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything like—"

"Let's just go, okay!" she said more firmly this time, a glint of tears shimmering in her reddening eyes and cheeks.

"Hey, ease off on it, man. It's okay," Barry said quietly to Lucas, gently patting him on the back. "We can settle the whole thing out later," he whispered to Lucas, "For now, we need to make sure that we're not being followed."

"Right," Lucas nodded. He hated that he bursted like that, that he scared off Dawn the moment a bit off pressure landed on her shoulders. " _How am I supposed to ask her out when she thinks I might explode at any time I feel stressed?"_ he thought and cursed himself before crashing his train of thought and focusing on the matter at hand: the grunts in pursuit. "We don't know how they know we're here, but we _do_ know that none of us are bugged or tagged, right?" he stated as though he never expected a response and was just thinking out loud. "If they want to track us, they'll have to do it the old-fashioned way by stalking or spying on us, but that'd mean that they'd have to be _physically_ near us."

"Not really reassuring, Lucas," Dawn coldly said.

Lucas raised his finger up in protest, but seeing how far things had already gone, he decided it was better for him to simply silence his objection and play it quiet for a while. "Look, all I'm saying is this," he said as he took out Galahad's Pokeball. "Galahad! Keep watch for those grunts or anyone coming toward us, okay?" he said as he threw the Pokeball high in the air where it released Galahad perfectly into the air where he made wide loops and turns around the four, scanning the environment around them with his sharp, focused eyes.

"I think two should be better," Barry agreed, releasing Gawain into the sky with Galahad, and the two Staravias began circling overhead, each in a different direction to maximize the area of immediate surveillance. "Good, these guys should give us cover and warning until we reach Floaroma, but we should be good there, right? The grunts won't attack us in broad daylight in the middle of so many people."

"No, they will. They followed us in broad daylight, and they attacked us in broad daylight already when we were at Jubilife," Lucas calmly replied, slipping further into some though before speaking again, "Our only way out of this is by reaching the Pokemon Center as fast as we can. They'll need to ID themselves in order to follow us in, and although they're okay with being seen in broad daylight, they can't afford to be identified."

"And then what?" Alyssa chimed in.

"And then we wait. We plan. We try to put all of the pieces, evidence, and news we got about these people together. They're too organized to just think that we can handle this problem by battling every time we bump into them," he said with a slight glare at Dawn. "They're in every city, every place that has money, and they have a real ranking system. We can work on trying to build a foundation on _what, what, when, and where_ these guys are. By the time we talk this through with Arthur tomorrow, I doubt we'll fight them like we used to."

"What do you mean by 'fight them like we used to'?" Dawn asked, unintrigued by his plan whatsoever.

"Dawn," Lucas said with a genuine sigh, a sigh that showed that he wasn't _really_ holding any grudge against her, that he still cared about her and that he gave up arguing with her. "Every time we fight them, we fight to survive, to make it to the next step or to help someone who they seemingly hurt for no reason. We just do things as they come, and because of that we don't have a plan to stop them, to destroy their _real_ goal so that they never come back our way again," he said with sincere conviction while his eyes betrayed his underlying affection for Dawn. "So we don't have to worry that they'll hurt us or people we care about again," he continued, looking right into Dawn's glistening blue eyes as the fields in the distance undulated again as the wind passed over them. "Dawn, please stick with me on this just this once. That's all I'm asking."

"I'm sorry, Lucas," she apologetically began, a wave of remorse and realization washing over her change in expression, "I just—"

"No, no, no: you two can argue this shit cuddling in your room," Barry butted in. "We're running from them, remember?" he said, gesturing to the amusement park from where they had just run from the grunts. "Lucas, whatever you have planned for dealing with them, we need to talk it out, prepare tactically, and start training our Pokemon towards it. We'll need at least a day for this whole thing."

"You're right," Lucas said, solemnly nodding, "For now, let's just get moving as fast as we can," he said, running forward to Floaroma town and the Pokemon center from where they came. Barry dashed right ahead of him while Dawn and Alyssa kept close behind him.

The weather became inclement on their way back, dark clouds quickly obscuring the sky given Floaroma's relatively high altitude compared to the lowlands of Sinnoh nearby. The soft breeze that had cooled them throughout the day just began to pick up strength as they walked inside the Pokemon Center, where they sat in the canteen for a while watching the sunset outside become slowly covered by clouds.

"Okay, Lucas," Barry began, turning an awkward placeholder conversation the four were having back to Donophan in the room, "What's the, uh, plan? Where do we go from… here?" he said, gesturing to their surroundings.

Lucas took a quick and inconspicuous look in the room around him before speaking, "We need to get on our feet. I know how you all feel, what you're all thinking right now," he sighed before continuing, "I want to empty a magazine into them, too, but if we keep throwing ourselves on their radar, they're gonna keep pegging us and wear us down or bring out big guns we never even expected them to have."

"Big guns?" Barry smugly laughed, rolling his eyes, "Lucas, you and I can take out every one of those fucking grunts with our eyes closed and arms tied. I'm not exactly worried about their 'big guns'," he laughed.

"I'm with him on this one," Dawn agreed, "Come on, Lucas, how much could they do? We need to cut 'em while they're still small, or at least before they get any bigger. I don't see a better choice to take," she said, crossing her arms.

"Then you're idiots," Lucas said, his eyes narrowing and his seriousness flaring with the growl in his words. "Dawn and I saw firsthand that these guys have some kind of front linked to the Galactic company in Veilstone, but there's not _nearly_ enough to pull an investigation or trial."

"So we kick there ass and find the evidence," Barry confidently countered, the tension growing between him, Lucas, and Dawn. "Simple."

"Won't work," Lucas shot back with a short but steely glare, "Roark told us that the league's ability to fight these guys is shut down. He _told_ us that we were on our own with this one, which means that he would have wanted to do his job and help us, the whole league would, but something big is holding them back. Think about it for a second, somebody's forced the Sinnohans Senate, Courts, the League, or all three of them to watch Galactic make ground on whatever the hell their goal is. They cucked the fucking government, Barry, and you want to go running at them because you think they're weak?"

"And if we wait, they'll only get stronger, too, Lucas. They may have a lot of power with money and politics, but they clearly can't match us in battles," Dawn countered.

"Money and politics can _easily_ get your better battlers. It can get the whole police force and the League to train their guns on us in the blink of an eye," Lucas sternly said.

Dawn, unprecedentedly, turned her attention to the quiet third party who was fed up with all of the arguments flying back and forth. "You're pretty quiet, Alyssa. What's your take?"

Alyssa didn't say a thing, dodging the question like it was never asked as she looked between the three.

"Um, Alyssa?" Dawn pressed, "Just tell Lucas here that they can't do anything to us. He needs to stop being a wuss behind a chessboard and put this to bed before strength isn't even a factor that can harm Galactic anymore," Dawn said with cold stare at him.

Alyssa still remained silent as the tension began to boil higher.

Barry began this time in Dawn's stead, "Alyss—"

"Y'all unbearably stupid, you know that?" Alyssa sternly said as she rose from her seat at the table. " _Look_ at yourselves. You're at each other's throats right now, cussing each other out like Unovan savages. And then you want to drag _me_ into this? No way: because when I say that y'all are my friends, or that I care about you, I mean it, and I'm not going to try to get at any of you over a pathetic disagreement like this one," she angrily stated, not losing a bit of her composure as she turned around, handbag in hand, to walk back to her room. "Oh, and since you're curious, Dawn, I'll give you're my two cents on this. You and Barry talk a _lot_ about how easily you can beat back Team Galactic right now, like this ain't your first rodeo fighting _national crime syndicates._ You're wrong. Because for someone who likes Lucas so much, you pretty easily forgot that he _just_ spent three days in the hospital after protecting you from Galactic," she angrily finished before retiring to her room.

The group had fallen dead silence in her absence as the gazes of other diners in the canteen could be felt piercing their shoulders. Dawn, Lucas, and Barry each sat there, stunned by a completely composed but aggressive aspect of Alyssa that they'd thought couldn't even exist. Lucas' mind was frying up as he tried to fathom what had happened. Words couldn't even escape his mouth before being stuttered and numbed by in his throat. He nervously fidgeted a bit as he tried to do or say something to alleviate the painful silence. " _At least she agrees with me, sort of—wait, what did she mean by 'for someone who likes Lucas so much'?"_ he thought as he made awkward eye contact with Dawn before quickly breaking it off. _"Does Dawn…"_

"I think I'll, um, head outside," Dawn plainly said, getting up from the table.

"I'll come with you," Lucas said, shooting up out of his seat awkwardly to follow her. "We should… you know…"

"Talk?" she almost skeptically said.

"Yeah," he said with a short sigh. "Talk," he nodded. Dawn simply turned forward and kept walking to the doors of the Pokemon Center. "Wait! Dawn, please!" Lucas called, dashing after her as she stepped out of the door.

Barry simply shrugged his shoulders as he sat alone, picking up his glass of beer, staring into it. "The only things in the world that won't bore or bother you are beer and boobs," he muttered gruffly to himself as he rapidly dove into the rest of his meal.

"Dawn, please, I just want to talk," Lucas sympathetically said, the apology overflowing in his plea. Thunder rolled overhead in a loud but not deafening series of booms, although the lightning flashes were too far to be found. "At least tell me where you're going!" he cried out, stopping for a moment. _Oh no, she's leaving me, isn't she? I just… I lost her._ He suddenly bolted to her side with newfound vigor and a desperate smile. "Please don't just—"

"I'm not a little girl, Lucas. I don't need to tell you where I'm headed off to," coldly put to Lucas, more coldly than the rain which began to sprinkle think down from above. "I'm going to the nearby meadow to practice for the contest tomorrow. "

"M-maybe, I can help you. I mean, your Pokemon might need a tough opponent to practice against and all, and I'm sure my team would be happy to fight yours for some practice," he encouragingly smiled.

"Thanks, Lucas, but I seriously don't want any distractions," she bluntly said, continuing to walk in the direction of the flower meadow which they had crossed on the way to the amusement park. The sun had set, now, and the path was barely illuminated as they moved from the city of Floaroma which was beautifully lit by the street lights and store lights to the natural floral and forest growths of the environment nearby. The wind began to flow even more strongly than when they had left the Pokemon center, and the chill of the rain began to become more irritating as time progressed, yet not a word or look of discomfort left Dawn, nor did she continue asking for Lucas to leave.

 _"_ _Come on, Lucas. Man up. Just… say what needs to be said and stop beating around the fucking bush,"_ he told himself as he pulled an umbrella out of his backpack. He quickly went to her side, opened it up, and placed it over himself and her to finally provide some cover from the incessant rain. "Here," he nervously smiled, hoping she'd understand what he was simply too paralyzed to say upfront. "At least you'll stay dry until we get under the trees in the meadow," he smiled as the lightning flashes now began to illuminate the path before them more frequently as though it were a constant light source by itself.

Dawn pressed on her excruciating silence as she walked forwards and out of the cover of Lucas' umbrella and into the rain. Lucas stopped walking after she left him. He closed the umbrella, letting his arms sink in defeat as the brutally heavy rain slapped him into his senses again. "Dawn!" he called out over the wind and rain, throwing his hands to the side in exasperation, "Dawn, I'm sorry," he said more softly, more remorsefully, as he trotted to her side.

Dawn slowed her pace, turning to face Lucas with some sympathy before hardening her attitude again as she asked, "Gee, why?"

"About everything that happened inside. About… calling you an idiot. About hurting you over something that I should have never hurt you over. About being a jackass more than a friend…" he sheepishly said as he removed his soaked cap and squeezed it in his left hand as his hair became matted by the falling rain. "Honestly," he chuckled, "I still don't agree with you and Barry, Dawn. I'd never attack or hunt Galactic outright at this stage in the game, if there even is a game with stages for us to play with them. I can't stand to… lose you to that fucking Team Galactic. I mean, if they'd even gotten the chance to land a _single_ hit on you, I'd burn them to the ground in a blind fury. I… care about you, Dawn, more than you think. If anything happens to you, or Barry, or Alyssa, or even me, the consequences go far beyond us, and I'm just... afraid to find out truly how far," he apologetically said in such a soft tone that it began to chip away at Dawn's stoic act. "Dawn," he began again, this time grabbing her hand to hold and halting her as she suddenly went wide-eyed, blushing wildly while their faces were intermittently illuminated by the lightning. "I'll agree to disagree, so please at least just say you forgive me," he weakly smiled at her as she very slowly began to lean into him, closing the inches of space between them.

Her stern look held for a moment before she gave a small smile. "Alright, Lucas, I forgive you," she gently said, her voice almost lost in the sound of the rain. "But… I'm sorry, too. You can't have an argument with one person, and I was the equal part to blame for—"

"You don't need to say sorry, Dawn. It's hard not to forgive somebody with a smile like yours." Dawn was simply left speechless and giddy inside while Lucas was paralyzed by her sudden silence yet somewhat reassured by the surprised smile and barely visible blush on her face as they subconsciously placed their gazes in the other's.

"Ahem," Dawn suddenly said, interrupting the awkward but happy silence, "I still need to practice for tomorrow's contest!"

Lucas looked up at the sky and closed his eyes as the droplets hit his face before reaching into his pocket and releasing Caesar, who landed mightily on both his feet and began chirping and tweeting with immense joy as he played in the wetness and rain that not only boosted his type but also provided him with a cooler and unique environment which he had never experienced. So far as he knew, there was a pond in the sky dispensing water onto him so he could play with Lucas and Dawn in it. "Caesar's attacks have a serious damage boost in the rain. And it looks like you just found that out," Lucas laughed as Caesar's otherwise weak Bubble attack bursted with enough force to cut and shred some flowers and leaves in various directions like little bombs. "If you can use the environment to your advantage in designing your appeal or come close to beating Caesar when he has an advantage like that, your creativity and battle skills will be honed enough to lock in first place. But it'll be hard though, given that you've never beat me in a battle before," he playfully smirked.

"Oh, trash-talking, are we?" she coyly smiled back as she walked back a few paces, picking up Margret's Pokeball. "Blow their minds, Margret!" she called out as she released the Meditie high into the air before it levitated slowly into a short hover above the ground, its eyes closed and pink aura surrounding it. "Margret, use Confusion as strongly as you can!" Dawn excitedly ordered.

"Caesar, use Bubble now!" Lucas countered.

The two went at for nearly two hours in the cold rain, although the intensity and fire of battle had kept them quite warm through the practice. "That was really smart of you to use Margret's psychic powers to deflect the nearby water droplets and Caesar's Bubble attack," Lucas complemented. "It's like a protect that radiates outward and deflects instead of destroying incoming projectiles, which means that you might be able to have a crazy combo appeal if you can somehow get Hazel involved into this mix.

"You can only have one Pokemon per appeal round, Lucas," Dawn laughed as she explained how he couldn't just break the rules to show something cool to the audience. "But I'll think about what you said. Maybe we can make it work with just Hazel or just Margret," she smiled back at him. The rain began to become a little light and eventually became a constant drizzle on their way back into the entrance of the Pokemon Center.

Lucas peered into the canteen, relieved that Barry had left to his room. _He's probably got his own shit going on with Alyssa…_

Lucas and Dawn had a quiet walk back to their room, with Lucas staring at the floor with his hands in his pockets, passively navigating behind Dawn as he just followed her footsteps in his peripheral vision. Both were absolutely drenched, shivering, and soaking, yet there was an indelible smile on each other's faces as they walked into the heated room, removing their jackets and leaving them to dry on the coat hanger before they dashed over to the heater vents, chuckling as they stuck all of their extremities in the warmth.

"That… has to be… the best feeling in the world," Dawn said between breaths as she and Lucas exhaled their fatigue away in the comfort and privacy of the little room.

"I beg to differ," Lucas said, raising his finger, "The best feeling in the world has to be taking these damn clothes off and putting on some fucking pajamas."

"Yeah, you're right," she cunningly smiled, "I'm changing first," she said as she bolted into the restroom before Lucas could follow her. Lucas simply reached out his hand in attempt to stop her, which she easily avoided in her dash to comfort, leaving him alone with nowhere to go as he was dripping like a wet Mammoswine on the doormat.

"Dammit, I wanted to change first," he jokingly murmured to himself, leaning back against the door, resting his arm on the handle, his expression becoming more blank as his mind drifted off into serious thought. _"We're being hunted. Hunted… and what if they get us? They're ready to kill me. They're ready to kill Dawn. They're ready to kill Barry… they've already tried. But what if it really happens? Who takes care of mum? What's the fucking point of leaving a full scholarship to a cash-laden career in law if I can't even guarantee mum I'll put food on the table tomorrow being a Pokemon trainer?"_ He picked up Prometheus' Pokeball, holding it in his hands as he looked at his reflection in the red surface. "You knew dad, too, right buddy? What do you think he would have done?" he asked with a melancholy smile. "I didn't sign up to fight team Galactic. It's not my business. My business is to take care of… mum," he shakily said.

Johanna had gone through quite a bit after James died. She was the joint that held the family together. A smiling, wonderful woman with that could soothe James and Lucas' stubborn hearts with a simple conversation.

James would come home from his work in Jubilife every day after picking up a younger Lucas and Barry from school. Johanna would always wait for the two in the home, kissing James and hugging her little boy. James would take them out over the weekend somewhere, perhaps a restaurant, perhaps a movie. Lucas would have a sleepover at Barry's house occasionally, and Johanna and James would perhaps head out for a picnic on a relaxing summers night by Lake Verity. It was perfect. James never talked about his work when he came home, and although Lucas and Johanna wanted to know, they both understood that even if his work was shrouded in mystery, at least it didn't come home with him. Every moment that he was at home, James would spend with his family, with his wife and son.

But nobody came to pick up Lucas one day. School was out, and Barry had asked if Lucas needed a ride home but Lucas assured him that maybe James was just running a little late today. Lucas nervously called his father, but there was no reply. Eventually, a car did come to pick him up, and he went home. Johanna opened the door as she usually did when she heard the sound of the wheels rolling on the gravel path in front of their driveway. Lucas couldn't ever erase that day from his mind. It was scarred into him. It was a part of him.

Johanna was terrified. "Is there something wrong?" she asked, puzzled why her boy was home so late exiting a car with a man who wasn't his father. "Did Lucas do something at school?" she asked with a cross glare at Lucas, who for the first time had a truly helpless look on his face. What would he tell her? How do you tell the woman who raised you, who hugged you when you were sad, and who healed you when you were sick that the man she loved and longed to see on the evening of every day was gone?

The man took off his hat as Lucas stared at the floor, lost and crippled in his mind. "Lucas, you better explain yourself, young man or—"

"Ma'am… he's got nothing to do with the matter," the man almost apologetically said. "My name is Carter Lyell, and I work at the same establishment your husband does. Although I know the nature of such news brings a tyrannical burden on any family, I am permitted to only reveal certain facets of it…" he said, taking a long, heavy breath, "Mrs. Drake, it is with absolute grief and sympathy that I must inform you that your husband, James Ryker Drake, has—"

"Hey, Lucas, are you in there?" Dawn jokingly called out to him as she stood right in front of him. She took a step closer, noticing that he'd snapped into awareness again. "Now that you're out of dreamland, I'm done changing so you can—wait… a-are you crying? Is everything okay?" she tenderly asked him, seeing his teary, reddened eyes as he looked at her. "Lucas, what's wrong," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He stared silently, still reeling the pieces of his awareness and senses together as he pulled himself out of his own thoughts. "Hey, whatever it is, you can tell me," she gently said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "I want to help you," she smiled.

"No, no, i-it's nothing," he said, launching himself back into the real world as he kicked off of his lean into the wall, standing upright. "I think I might be catching a bit of cold since I was standing in the rain and all. And now that I've walked into a warm, dry room I'm starting to feel it coming," he smiled, rubbing his eyes. "Maybe I'll feel better once I change out of these clothes," he said, removing his jacket and hanging it on the coat-hanger in the closet.

"Yeah, how about I make us a cup of hot chocolate while you're getting dressed, hm?" she smiled.

"How?"

"Do you want some or not?" she playfully smirked at him.

"Yeah, I'd love some. Thank you, Dawn."

Lucas was out in five minutes, and Dawn had just taken a hot pot of hot chocolate off the stove, pouring it into two ceramic cups she'd pulled from her backpack. They took their clothes to the laundry room on the floor, waiting for their drinks to cool to a consumable temperature before sliding inside the sheets on their beds to watch some TV, a warm cup of delight burning against the rhythmic patter and sloshing of the rainstorm outside.

"This hot chocolate is the shit, Dawn. I can't tell you how much I love it. How'd you make it?" Lucas said, taking small, content sips from his cup.

"It's a special secret," she quietly whispered at him.

"Alright then, keep your secrets," Lucas laughed, "As long as you don't spike me and steal my stuff. Actually, on second thought, I wouldn't mind you spiking me: it's worth trying this stuff again."

"I thought you said that the weather was always perfect in Floaroma, Dawn said, looking at the mean storm outside. She never liked strong weather, but it always made her feel warm and happy to be indoors, especially when she could spend some time with someone like Lucas.

"Well, it _is_ in the dead of winter. Occasionally there'll be storms like this, but I promise it'll be nice and sunny for your contest tomorrow."

"How about we watch some TV with Barry and Alyssa?" Dawn suggested as she scrolled through the channels available.

"Like as them to come over?"

"Yeah."

"Sounds fine to me," he said reaching over his side to pick up his phone, ringing up Barry's number.

While Barry had nearly teleported into their room in his pajamas mere seconds after Lucas called, Alyssa seemed to take her time and arrived as fully dressed as she was in the morning. But by then, Lucas, Barry, and Dawn were brewed in a hot discussion again. "What are y'all bickering about again," she amusedly said as she closed the door and entered the room, taking a seat next to Barry in one of the chairs.

"I tried going on Lucas' roller coasters, so he has to watch my favorite reality TV show," Dawn jokingly complained.

"No, he does not! This is cruel and unusual punishment. Who wants to watch your stupid show while _the biggest_ football rivalry is going down right now! The Snowpoint Steelers are playing the Ecruteak Ravens right now!" Barry roared in protest.

Dawn kept skipping through the channels rapidly. "Come on, I can't find the channel it's on. It's gotta be—"

"Woah, hold on, hold on, go back a few," Lucas said, suddenly bursted out. "Is that…"

Dawn went back a few channels to the local news that was on. There was an all too familiar building with flames coming from the inside as the anchor narrated. "Sources say that when a bomb detonated days ago, many lives could have been taken, if it weren't for the timely and valiant actions of one boy and his girlfriend," the entire room fell suddenly silent as a cameraman and reporter inside the building came on. "As I'm sure you all know, that sixteen-foot hole right there was blasted open when Team Galactic, a criminal organization attacking and seizing resources and public assets all around Sinnoh, detonated an explosive. They were stealing energy storage and processing technology from this high-tech power plant, Valley Windworks, for unknown purposes: sieging the building, setting guards outside, and holding all of the staff and scientists inside as hostages," the reporter continued, gesturing to the hole left by the bomb that injured Lucas. "We don't have any leads on why they stole this technology or as to why they would set a full-scale siege of such a defenseless facility to achieve their goal, but when we did speak with the staff who were held hostage here on that day, we were told that if formatted by a capable mind, the stolen tech and a decent energy supply could generate intense electrical gradients so powerful that they could ionize nitrogen with over a billion volts of potential."

The camera cut to an interview with Arthur from a few days ago, still in his blood-stained lab coat with soot and dust. "That tech is in the wrong hands. They've got the potential to cook entire cities in seconds with that kind of power. Weaponizing it is as easy as counting to ten. We use it to supply energy in a clean and efficient way, but they can use it for… almost anything. With a power source that reliable and powerful they could mine, harvest, secure, invade, and terrorize any people or resource in the world."

The camera immediately cut back to the anchor. "Unfortunately, this isn't even the first attack or crime from this organization. Police records indicate that members affiliated with the organization have been long involved in petty crime and even gang wars, but the scale and danger of their crimes has since grown after they united under Galactic's banner. Just a couple weeks ago, police found low-level Galactic members had killed a scientist who worked at Valley Windworks. It is believed that they used this man as leverage or his knowledge as access to the details of the technology inside Valley Windworks as well as the security of the compound. Despite the increasing loss of life and lurking threats from this group, the Sinnohan government has remained inert and unresponsive on the subject. Members of the executive branch and Elite 4 have voiced the need for action and the mobilization of a strike force to eliminate the chain of command of Galactic, citing recent emergence eco-terrorist activity in Hoenn, but are unable to operate due to political gridlock and inactivity in Congress."

Lucas stared confusedly while Barry opened his mouth to speak, "I can't believe that—"

"Shhh!" Dawn shushed, quieting him.

"But although the government seems to be heading nowhere soon on the matter, some civilians have begun to take action, saving property and lives before Galactic can complete their operation," the anchor continued. "In that same facility, two teenagers armed with their Pokemon staged a rescue of the staff in the building, successfully breaking past Galactic's perimeters on the building and defeating the members inside to retake the building."

Another interview, this time with the man that carried Lucas to the hospital, began to air. "We couldn't hear much of what was happening outside. I mean, we were all corralled into the storage compartment on the backside of the lower floor. But we could hear screams and shouts as well as some Pokemon noises and loud crashes. It was hard to tell what exactly was happening: we thought they were destroying the place to hide evidence of what they were looking for and coming to kill us soon. We heard the bomb they used to blast open their escape path, and then we started praying. I hoped that I lived a good life, and I thought about how lucky I was to love my sweet wife and two kids. I was… ready. We were all ready to die that day. But… that's not what ended up happening. This kid… not much older than my son, opened up that steel door," he said, becoming more emotional, "You don't know what it's like to sit in a dark room hearing destruction and death all around you, remembering your wife's face for the last time and what it would be like to hold your little baby boys again, and then seeing light again as a someone reaches down to help you. He… he did what nobody else could. He did what people in power, people who were meant to take care of these problems, should. A boy and his girlfriend did all that knowing they didn't have to. How can you ever truly show appreciation and gratitude to someone like that?"

"And it wasn't just him: almost _every_ member of the staff held hostage that day had the same regard and praise for this boy. None of the staff members released his name, but there was CCTV footage of him and his girlfriend entering the building, defeating some Galactic members in battle, and him shielding her as Galactic blasted the tunnel open. But the repercussions of their heroic actions that day stem far beyond the lives of the people they saved. In the days after the attack, Galactic issued a public statement on hijacked broadcast frequencies, declaring that any person who interfered with their plans going any further were going to meet death at their hands, even going so far as to state that they were going to first make an example out of the boy who stormed their Valley Windworks operation, causing a political whirlwind to schism across Sinnoh, with some citizens and politicians arguing that citizens such as this mysterious boy should do the right thing and stand up to Team Galactic in a time of dangerous and suspicious political inactivity, while others fear for the boy's life, arguing that such acts would only endanger the few good people brave enough to stand up to such terror, pointing to how Galactic had already taken lives before without much hesitation. But no matter what the public opinion sways too or what action Congress chooses to take on this pressing issue, one thing is for certain: a lethal threat to Sinnohan safety is developing on our horizon, but there may be hope for a force strong enough to stop it."

Everyone continued to stay silent, absolutely stunned and taken aback by what they had just seen as the co-anchor began speaking on the next news story with pictures of a beautiful blonde woman on the screen. "And an interesting development today in celebrity news: famed actress Sarah Scharnhorst says she is leaving acting temporarily to pursue what she called "her greatest passion". That's right, in a social media post released yesterday night Scharnhorst said that she was going to "take a break from acting and get my[her]self some shiny new ribbons." The Floaroma native said she'd make her first contest appearance tomorrow at the Floaroma contest in the Grand Meadowlands Contest Center."

"Well, I'm sure we can expect plenty of surprises from this star actress, isn't that right, Bob?" the first anchor said.

"That's right, and if her contest career will be anything like her film career, we can expect a lot of successes, too," he agreed.

While Dawn and Alyssa were murmuring to each other, discussing the dramatically changed landscape for their contest, while Barry and Lucas were staring agape at Sarah and the collection of her pictures and videos from red carpet appearances. She had their gazes transfixed to her on the screen like a couple of hypnotized idiots. "She's gotta be a perfect ten," Barry half-mindedly murmured to Lucas.

"H-how is that even possible. Perfect tens don't exi—"

"Are you fucking blind, Lucas? _Look_ at her. I'd give an arm and a leg to date her: are you kidding me?" Barry quietly said, double-checking to make sure the girls weren't eavesdropping on them.

"You're not wrong," Lucas silently said, averting his gaze temporarily to process the tremendously weighty info he'd been slammed with in the past few minutes before his gaze was fixed to her again. "Well, she _is_ from Floaroma."

"That would explain a lot," Barry nodded. "She's probably like the hottest girl in Floaroma, too. Hell, maybe the hottest in Sinnoh.

"You think we might get a chance to meet her tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we'd be in a line behind every straight dude on the planet. Psht, I wish."

"I'm gonna—"

"What are you two talking about?" Dawn called from across the room.

"Uh…" Barry drifted into silence.

"We were talking about what to do about Galactic," Lucas quickly filled in. "We're public enemy number one for them, so, you know, just, uh, strategizing and stuff," he bluffed, hoping Dawn's humorously curious personality wouldn't pick up on him.

"Oh, good, so were we."

"Wait, you weren't talking about the contest?"

"No… Lucas did you see _any_ of what was on the news? Why would we even be worried about the contest tomorrow?"

"I'd be worried," Barry quietly muttered through his teeth to Lucas, who failed to keep a short chuckle from escaping him.

"What'd he say, Lucas?" Dawn demanded with apathetic plainness, getting used to Barry's jokester and active personality at this point.

"Nothing," he smiled, knowing full well she had an idea of what Barry said. Dawn simply rolled her eyes and looked back at the TV.

"We're in this deep, now," she said with her head down, taking the lightness of the room down with it. "All of Sinnoh's having the same debate we're having: do we fight back or let somebody else handle Galactic?"

"There is no somebody else. The government's doing what it always does: sitting on its ass until the last minute!" Barry interjected. "Until now, we—I mean, you two—mainly fought these guys because they attacked first. You played defense and just worked to get 'em out of turf they weren't supposed to be on, to protect stuff and not to take what's theirs. What if we flipped the equation for a moment, huh? Instead of hiding and shooting from trenches when they attack, _we'll_ be the ones attacking this time. That news report proves what Dawn and I have been saying the _whole_ time! And Lucas, you're not alone in this. It's not like you have to take these guys, this terrorist group, with your bare hands. _We're_ there with you all the way, aren't we?" he asked, earning nods from Alyssa and Dawn. "You always said, 'you've got nothing to lose but your honor if you don't fight for what's right'."

"I've got a lot more to lose if I _do_ stand up and fight this time, Barry. We all do. The fact that you guys _are_ willing to fight with me to the end, even at great risk to your own lies is the center of the entire fucking problem," he curtly said. "I can't watch you guys put yourselves at risk. And I know you're going to tell me that 'it's what you guys want' and that 'you'll help me no matter what', but we're not the only people in the equation here. We have families. Our mothers, Barry. Who's gonna look after them, huh? How about Rowan, Dawn? He lost his brother, didn't he? He trusted you were ready to go on your own journey, your own path across Sinnoh, and how's he going to feel when you end up hurt or, even worse, dead? He's going to think it's his fault. Everyone will think it's their fault, and they'll live whatever is left in their lives in misery, but really, it would be our fault," he finished as everyone suddenly became silent. "Yeah, not so easy a choice to make, huh?"

"But we still _do_ have a choice to make. Look, let's not set ourselves on fire about this because the last thing we need is for us to hurt ourselves looking for an answer. Let's just watch some TV, take things a little slow, and maybe talk about this tomorrow, okay?" Dawn kindly insisted.

"I can get behind that," Lucas wearily smiled as he went up towards Dawn, arms outstretched. "I'm sorry if I scared you. It's just—"

"It's okay. We need to think this through and your right," she said as he gave her a hug. Lucas went and sat back down on his bed, giving Barry a high-five as Alyssa chuckled. "What's so funny?" Dawn confusedly asked.

Lucas confidently held up his right hand, rapidly changing the channels on the TV. "I gotta say, Dawn: the only thing better than a hug from you is getting the remote from you," he proudly said.

"You sly son of a bitch!" she jokingly spat at him, "Gimme that," she said as she lunged from her bed to his, arms outstretched to grab the remote. Lucas was more than ready, however, simply scooting out of the way in time to see her land flat on her chest on his bed as he chuckled with his hand over his mouth. "I'm going to kill you, Lucas," she laughed as she sat up, grabbing at the remote while he switched from hand to hand and moved it just out of her range.

Lucas kept laughing as he swiftly moved the remote again and again, exasperating Dawn. "This is way too easy," he laughed.

"Oh yeah," she said, panting with a smile on her face before she lunged directly into his chest, knocking him flat on his back as she sat atop him, using her hands to hold his writhing arms in place. Lucas' grin faded into a smile as he locked eyes with her bright blue eyes as she caught her breath. "I got you," she triumphantly smiled.

"Alright, alright, get a room, you two," Alyssa laughed, rolling her eyes. Dawn and Lucas blushed wildly as she quickly got off of him, moving back to her bed and hiding her face in her pillow like a little girl, which Lucas found to be endearingly cute before he changed the channel to the football game.

Barry's and Alyssa's mothers were from both from Ecruteak, while Lucas father was from Snowpoint, so needless to say, there was quite the bit of tension in the room as the game went on. Dawn, however, was wholly unfamiliar with the concept of football, asking questions throughout the game, much to Barry's frustration.

"So they're going for a field goal now?" Dawn asked as the Steelers and Ravens were at 28-25. Barry smacked his face in to his hands in disappointment as Dawn simply stuck out her tongue at him behind his back.

Lucas, however, happily explained away what was going on, although he had to admit that even his patience was being tested at this point. "Um, they just scored a touchdown, so they're kicking an extra point. A field goal is when you kick between the uprights for three points, but an extra point makes a touchdown worth 7 points instead of 6."

"Oh," Dawn nodded. "So if they make this…"

"It'll be 29-25 and the Steelers will win because the Ravens offense is too shitty to get down the field in 40 seconds," Lucas smirked at Alyssa and Barry.

"Which team got picked three times? Oh right, it's the Steelers. Besides, we got three timeouts and plenty of skill, unlike your defense," Barry shot back.

The Ravens didn't make it very far as the quarterback took a strip-sack at the 8 yard-line on the opposite end of the field to the brutal disappointment of Alyssa and Barry but much to the joy of Lucas. Dawn simply cheered alongside him, not knowing what else to do given that she hadn't much investment in the game. But seeing that it made Lucas happy, there was some genuine joy in her smile, too.

"How about we grab some dinner?" Dawn suggested, now that the game was over. "I'm really hungry after all that practice for the contest."

"I think I'll pass for now," Barry said, and Alyssa nodded in agreement.

"I'm hungry, too," Lucas said with a smile.

"I guess we'll see each other tomorrow, then?" Alyssa said to Dawn. "Good luck for the contest!" she smiled.

"You too, Alyssa, but I don't think you'll need it," Dawn grinned back.

Barry and Alyssa went back to their rooms while Lucas and Dawn went down to the canteen to grab some dinner before coming back up about an hour later, flopping on their beds again and putting on a movie for the night, as they always liked to do. "That was… a decent movie. Sort of. I don't know what to think of it, Dawn, to be honest. Those movies aren't my cup of tea," Lucas said, having finished _The Notebook_ with Dawn. Truth be told, he _maybe_ liked it. Maybe a little bit. But he was a guy, and he wasn't a sucker, so he stuffed everything he felt into an emotional dumpster in his brain right after the movie ended, talking himself into hardening his heart again.

"Tough guy doesn't like romance movies, huh?" she mocked with a chuckle. "I saw you during the movie. You seemed pretty on-edge sometimes for someone who didn't think that movie was their cup of tea," she laughed.

"Maybe you should watch the movie and not me," he defended as he slid into his covers, hiding his face.

"So you're not denying it?" Dawn continued laughing.

"I'm denying it, all right," Lucas said from under his covers, "I mean, _some_ parts were good, but overall… it was meh. Dawn still chuckled at him as appeared from underneath his covers again. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing. I just think it's kind of cute how you disappear under your covers when I asked what you thought about the movie. You can just say you thought it was nice, you know. Nobody expects you guys to be all tough and steel-hearted all the time. That's just a stupid rule you guys made up for yourselves."

"The less of a soft reaction you give to stuff, the more of a man you become. It's a pretty neat and straightforward idea that turns boys into men."

"I'm sorry, Lucas, but that has got to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say," Dawn laughed again, "because every man with a wife or girlfriend had to have softened up to them at some point," she smirked at him. He raised his finger in protest before silencing his objection and retracting his hand before going on his phone to look at something.

Dawn got up to get another cup of hot chocolate for herself while Lucas passed on another drink, instead following Sarah Scharnhorst on Festival Plaza and looking at her latest posts and pictures.

Lucas set his phone down a few minutes later, turning off the lights and resting his head on his pillow, although sleep wouldn't make itself acquainted to him that night. He tossed and turned so frequently that he felt more active than asleep. "Dawn," he wearily called out.

"Mhm?" she responded immediately.

"Oh, you're awake?"

"Yeah, I can't sleep. It's too damn cold."

"Yeah, same for me. I feel like I have the energy of thousand toddlers," he laughed as she chuckled with him.

"Hey," Dawn started, "You mind if I sleep next to you? I'm getting the chills, and I don't think I can go to sleep like this."

"Um… sure, yeah," Lucas weakly said as Dawn got out of her bed slowly and stood next to his.

"Well, scoot over! I need space," she said, and Lucas moved to the far side as she quickly slid underneath the covers next to him, stretching herself comfortably before turning to face his nervous face. "Much better," she said, relaxed as she settled into her sleeping position.

A peaceful silence formed over them again as Lucas lost himself in her large, blue eyes again before he spoke: "You know what, Dawn?"

"What?"

"Something, uh, _was_ bothering me this afternoon after we came back from practicing for your competition," he calmly confessed, trying to reveal his complex attitude on the matter as honestly as possible to her.

"Yeah, I know," she softly said, shivering a bit in the chilly room.

"Well, I thought that—wait how?"

"You can't hide how you feel about something from a girl, Lucas. It's impossible," she smiled at him.

 _"_ _Gosh, you're just like mum,"_ Lucas thought. "I was thinking about mum. How happy she was. How happy we were when dad was there: when there was somebody to take care of us, to protect us, to teach me how to ride a bike, how to throw a punch, and how to give a speech without stuttering. Someone she could sleep next to at night. Someone whose shoulder she could fall asleep on. She was shattered after he died. Well, I was, too, but when I cried, she was there for me. Mum was always there for me after he died. She could have cried, too. You could see the pain in her eyes. Her sorrow slowed her down: it took the life out of her, but she did her best to hide it from me, so I could see a beautiful, smiling mum every day I came home from school. It hurts me all the time to think that I couldn't do anything for her, that I _didn't_ do anything for her after dad died. But when she got the cancer diagnosis, I knew I had to do something. She was my mum: my family and the person who loved me the most. I knew it didn't matter how I felt or how much pain I was in: I had to do what I did for mum just like she gave herself up for me all these years. For the first time in my life, I didn't want to be a successful man but a good son. It's why I ever agreed to become a trainer. And… all I could think about was what would happen to her if I died. What if I didn't call her or come home anymore? Wh-what would happen to her if—"

"Lucas… if I could give back every one of the days I lived after mom and dad died just to spend one more with them, I would," Dawn sadly said. "But sometimes… we have to follow our heart on what's right."

"My heart tells me to stay with mum. I should take care of her until she recovers and leave the team Galactic business to someone else, but the thing is, Dawn, I shouldn't listen to my heart. I should listen to my head. It's not about what I want: it's about what's right. The only question is: is it more wrong to give myself up to a war knowing I leave my mum suffering and alone or to turn away from the war knowing somebody else may have to pay the price of blood to these aggressors?" he asked, leaving them both in silence as they thought, their eyes speaking to each other.

"You can't simplify a choice like that, Lucas. There's a lot more than that. For one, nobody said fighting Galactic is a death sentence, and leaving this fight doesn't make you a coward," she said, pausing for a moment, "well, I know I said that earlier today… and I was wrong. I guess I knew that what these people do, how they burn the lives of innocents away for something we don't even understand yet, and I think we have to stop them before they get out of control. But whatever choice you make… I'm not going to stop you. Don't worry."

"How did it get here, Dawn? Just two weeks ago, I was excited about going on a journey with a pretty girl and making some of my own money to find a future for mum as I carved a path for myself, and now I don't where or how I'm headed because of these motherfucking Team Galactic people," he joked, trying to ease the tension. "Why can't things go back to normal?"

"Well, they can't go back to normal. You saw the news today: you know we're way past that," she sighed. "But, we can keep doing what we're doing right now."

"What do you mean?"

"We don't have to go out of our way to hunt these guys. I mean, we don't have to be the police. But we're not going to run from these guys when we see them trying to burn the world like they are right now," she proposed.

"So we just take this passively?"

"Half and half, yes. Half active, half passive."

"I guess I can do that, but I know we'll have to pick a side at some point, but better tomorrow than today, I guess."

"Dawn saves the day again," she joked, flicking her hair.

"Again?" Lucas chuckled. Dawn jokingly narrowed her eyebrows in disagreement before letting out a small yawn. "I think you should get some sleep, Dawn. You're tired, and you have a contest tomorrow."

"Same goes for you, Lucas. I can see how red your eyes are in the dark," she laughed, "Goodnight," she smiled as she let her eyes closed and her mind drift.

"Yeah, goodnight, Dawn," he smiled back. _"I think she's the only girl in the world who looks that pretty when she falls asleep,"_ he thought, _"Well, her and that Sarah, probably."_ His eyes felt heavy and closed together as his mind fired its final thoughts. _"I miss you, dad. Mom misses you, too. I'm going to win that Champion title for you both. I hope you're watching, wherever you are."_

 **Well, that's it for this chapter! The next one is, obviously, the contest, but it's not the whole chapter. The contest is more... setting than plot, shall we say. Anyway, I'd be bloody glad if you left a review as I need all the feedback I can get. Cheers!**


	19. Chapter 19: Firsts

**I'm updating a bit more regularly, now, and I've got more stuff to cover on each chapter so that's more content per week! This is a particularly long chapter, so my suggestion is to read this one on the phone app because FFN runs smoothly and gives you options to sort the text to be easier on your eyes. As usual, any reviews you guys give me are perfect and always appreciated, laudatory or critical, and I'll always do my best to give a response through a PM. There IS a bit of a surprise this chapter: I'm going to be posting the next chapter in the next two to three days. Maybe even same-day if I can get the editing though, so be on the lookout for that! I learned an important lesson from this chapter: these contests are not as fun to write as the gym battles. Expect future chapters to gloss over them. Like, REALLY gloss them over next time.**

Chapter 19: Firsts

Dawn was holding Lucas' arm in her sleep as she got up. She ever so _gently_ moved it as she slid out of bed quietly. She'd seen him asleep almost every day now, but she'd always be just as taken aback as she was when she first saw him. She gave a short smile as she gently kissed his cheek, trying not to wake him up, before she decided to get ready for the day. He stirred a little, startling her a bit as she quickly moved back, but he quickly settled back into sleeping until the sound of her showering awoke him.

Lucas slowly shuffled awake, stretching his limbs until he heard their satisfying _crack_ sound. Given how worried and tired he was the night before, he was happy that he slept soundly this time and even happier that he didn't have any cryptic dreams about the future pressing on his mind. He rolled out of bed, a bit dizzy as the blood slowly flowed into his head.

He brushed his teeth in the sink outside the bathroom as Dawn finished showering and changing inside, walking outside fully dressed in her outfit for the competition. She stunned him completely as he stared like an idiot with his toothbrush in his mouth, much to Dawn's amusement. "Like it?" she said, twirling in her backless red flared short dress.

Lucas quickly spit out his paste like there was acid in his mouth and finished brushing before turning to her. "I think it might be unfair for you to wear that to your contest. After all, we want to make it _seem_ like the competition has a chance, right?" he joked.

"You never give a simple answer, but I always like them," Dawn said, giving him a quick hug. "Oh, and I almost forgot," she started again just as she was about to turn to head back into the main room, "Um, wear something nice today."

"Is there something wrong with what I usually wear?"

"What? No, no, that's not what I meant," she laughed, waving her hand, "I was thinking it'd be great to go someplace nice after the contest, like for dinner: just you and me," she said, her voice becoming soft as she blushed toward the end of her sentence.

"I mean, I have something to wear, but…" he trailed, looking sheepish.

"I-I understand," she said dejectedly, assuming he was just furnishing an excuse not to go. "You don't have to, uh…"

"No, I'd absolutely love to have dinner with you, Dawn: I mean it. But the truth is, I don't have much money. Most of what I got from that gym battle I spent on mum's medical bill this month and paying for my stays at the Pokemon Center. I… just can't afford to—"

"Lucas, don't worry about the money. I'll take care of that," she reassured with a bright smile. "I've got plenty of money left over from the last contest, and when I win this one, I'll have even more."

"That's awfully nice of you, Dawn, but I can't let you do that. I don't want you to do any more for me than you already have, and I don't want to feed off of you: literally."

"Lucas," she chuckled, "I'm not seeing this is as you feeding off of me. Did you see it as me feeding off of you when you paid for our tickets to PokePark?"

"No…but that's different?!" he protested, trying to coax her to drop the issue.

"Oh really? How?" she pressed with a smile.

He had no response to that. There was no difference, and he knew she was going to make him capitulate with her captivating confidence and smile now.

"Just come with me, please?" she endearingly asked, melting his heart into a warm puddle.

"Okay, okay, I will, but I want to know how you found out about where to go first," he amusedly asked. "I mean, it's not like you're from around here."

"Alyssa told me."

"Alyssa told you?"

"Well, I talked to Alyssa, who must've talked to Barry, who told her, who then came back and told me where to go," she conceded.

"Really? And what else did they tell you?"

"To not tell you anything else until we get there," she cheerfully joked, "Now get dressed: I want to be there early!" she exclaimed, playfully prodding him into the bathroom.

"Okay, okay, someone's in a rush! At least let me get my clothes first!" Lucas chuckled as he went to pick up a suit out of a suit-bag that lay in the bottom of his duffel bag. "I'll be out quick," he assured her as he went inside the bathroom.

True to his word, he was out in less than ten minutes, fully clean and clothed in a dark blue slim-fit two-piece suit, a pale white shirt, a light blue, gold, and white striped tie in a full Windsor knot tied neatly around his neck, and polished jet black Oxfords. It was tailored to his size almost perfectly, a bespoke suit matched perfectly to the wearer.

"Psht, showoff," Dawn playfully scoffed at him.

"I take it you approve of it, then?" he smiled.

"It's… the perfect outfit for you, for sure," she said, leaning her cheek on her hand as she gazed at him. "Now I just have to make sure people look at me and not you during the contest."

"You'll have no problem with that: I'm not the one wearing bright red!" he laughed. "You know, I'm glad you like it. This is one of the few things I have from when dad was still around. He'd gotten this suit made for him after he married mum, not long before I was born. He gave it to me and had it tailored for me when I turned sixteen. It's the thing I protect the most, apart from my cap," he said, pointing to his cap on the counter. "It always feels good to wear it," he said with a grin that hid sorrow.

"I guess he'd be very proud to see his son all handsome in this suit, huh?" she nervously smiled, trying not to stare at him outright. "W-well, we should get going! We don't want to be too late for the contest, do we?" she grinned, trying to shift the subject from grim thoughts of the past to the happy day they would have at the contest.

It was a short, pleasant walk to the Floaroma Contest Center from the Pokemon Center. The grandiose and expensive nature of the town seemed to seep in and submerge the entirety of the venue. Large, pale Ionian columns held the massive marble entryway into the main hall whose outside walls were decorated with ornate designs of mythical beasts such as Cresselia and Xerneas, a beautiful red carpet lining the pathway indoors where dim, yellow ceiling lights allowed for a soft and quiet glow that shrouded the interior from the light outside, inviting onlooking observers into its gentle and secretive appearance. Dawn and Lucas were allowed inside upon Dawn showing her registration proof as a contest member and declaring Lucas as the recipient for one of her free guest tickets.

They walked inside, seeing massive mahogany and stone doors pushed and locked in their open position to allow incoming guests in without much traffic. Lucas was absolutely stunned this time by the extent to which the Contest Center was decorated: pulsing traces of LED lights were installed in the dim velvet walls of the entrance hall to form the intricate outlines of Pokemon and their attacks. A red set of lines on the right wall directly in front of the entrance formed an Infernape using Flamethrower, while blue lines on the right wall formed the outline of an Empoleon using Hydro Pump, and green lines on the left wall showed a Torterra using Solar Beam. At the top was an intricate, pulsing, golden set of LED lights that formed a dazzling set of two crescent arcs whose insides faced each other while joined to a circle in the middle that protruded an X into the arcs with a bright green glow in each corner of the X.

The hall pulsed with life, the sounds of the moving audience members and celebrity journalists and photographers flashing their cameras at some of the more famous and popular contestants. Lucas and Dawn walked to the end of the entrance hall, heading out into a massive glass-roofed, boat-shaped, atrium that sharply contrasted the closed and dark entrance hall before. The atrium was bustling with life as the sound of beauty and business mingled in the air, the purring and roars of Pokemon mixing with the distinguishable clacking of high-heels and dress-shoes on the tile floors. On the right side of the atrium, there was an exit into a food court which wafted over the aromatic smell of fries and seasoning, while on the left, there was an entrance into a secluded, contestant-only area, which Lucas assumed it was the green room.

Still lost in the luxurious glow of the Contest Center, Lucas was suddenly startled when Dawn grabbed his hand, staring directly into his eyes. "Lucas, I… what if I don't make it this time?" she asked with genuine worry in her face, something Lucas had never seen in her before as he could feel his heartstrings being plucked at like guitar strings.

"You were just fine a few minutes ago! What happened to the 'when I win we'll go out to dinner together' spirit?" he smiled, hoping to counter her inner doubt.

"I know, I know, I said that, but I never pictured _this_."

"It doesn't matter, Dawn. I was there when you practiced, and you blew my mind then. Just blow my mind again, but this time you have to do it to three judges, too."

"You don't understand," she said, biting her nails, "The lights, the celebrities, all the photography people and stuff: this contest is fifty times what the Jubilife Contest was. Besides, Sarah Scharnhorst is here today, and it's like the entire world wants to see her debut in a contest. How am I supposed to beat her, Alyssa, Lucille—"

"Shhh…" Lucas said, placing his finger over her lips mid-sentence as she stared at him wide-eyed with surprise. "That's enough," he softly said as he moved his finger back slowly, "Bad Dawn, too much negativity," he joked, flicking her in the forehead. "Listen: as powerful, grandiose, beautiful, or crazy as this place is, it can't get to you. I won't get behind someone I don't think can do the job, but I know you can, so I'm going to hunt you down if I find out that your attitude, not your skill, botched the game," he took a brief pause to smile at her before continuing, "Trust me, the secret to winning is in that pretty smile of yours, and everything else will come following that. So just smile for me and imagine that there is no audience—just the empty field where we practiced in the rain yesterday—and I promise that we can go that dinner with your first contest ribbon in your hands."

"You think I can beat Sarah?" she asked with enthusiasm.

 _"_ _Wow, women REALLY like to cross-examine you on this shit, don't they?"_ he thought to himself while he maintained a smile on his face. "Yes, I know you can, but like I just said, focus on yourself, not her."

"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "I'm gonna win that ribbon," she said with conviction that got even Lucas pumped.

"See, that's it! Now, I think you should get going inside. We've only got like thirty minutes before the contest, and I've got to find out where Barry is in the audience."

"Oh, right. I hope you don't run into Valerie and company again!" she laughed.

"I'll run into and over 'em this time!" he chuckled back.

"You'll cheer for me, right?" she sweetly asked, pulling on his arm just as he was about to turn and leave.

"Dawn, what kind of question is that?" Lucas worried that she would regress back into fear. "Nothing would make me happier right now than seeing you win that contest," he said, placing his hand on hers, "Now go," he insisted, "we'll meet here again during the intermission between the appeals and battle rounds, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good luck," he said as the two finally parted directions with Lucas heading into the main entrance into the auditorium at the end of the hall while Dawn took the exit to the left into the contestant-only area.

 _"_ _She's got this. I think I told her what she needed to hear,"_ he nervously thought to himself as he walked down the hall. The truth was, he was not the kind of guy to take the kind of advice he gave her. It wasn't even the kind of advice he himself got. Anytime he got scared he was told to tap into the killer instinct and focus on defeating the enemy, not walking out alive. But he had a feeling inside of him, a feeling that told him that's not what Dawn needed to hear, so he did his best to convey the faith he had in her.

It was almost pitch black inside the auditorium, as though it were a movie theater, save for a series of dim orange lights that lined the sides and the stairs that led up and down the seating rows. Luckily, he found Barry in the first row, constantly dissuading people to sit in the seat next to him, claiming that it was taken but with much difficulty as it was a high-demand seat. A look of relief washed over his face as he saw Lucas make his way down the row and take a seat next to him as the person he was talking too left. "Thank goodness, you're finally here! You know how many people I had to awkwardly shoo because this seat was empty?"

"No, but it's your job, so I don't care," he said with a joking eye-roll.

"Yeah, a simple thanks would have been nice, asshat. By the way, did you happen to run into… her?"

"Valerie?"

"What? No, I meant Sarah, but yeah, also Valerie."

"Well, I think saw her in between a crowd of photographers and journalists in the entrance hall on the red carpet, but I'm not sure if that was her or another celebrity. I mean, this _is_ the Floaroma Contest, after all. As for Valerie, I _wish_ I ran into her. I want to make another easy grand off of her. You know what I'm saying?"

"Man, you're cold. Not as cold as her, but you're cold. Maybe we'll see Sarah after the contest, right?"

"Fat chance. Literally everyone here wants to meet her."

"I've heard that if you get within 10 feet of her, her beauty will fucking melt you."

"I want to disagree with that, but she's a Floaroma girl, so it's probably true," he jokingly nodded. "Could you imagine what her appeal will be like though? What might Pokemon she might have?"

"She'll have the best Pokemon money can buy for sure, but I'm afraid it'll be like a headless Caterpie riding a Zubat. She won't be in control unless she's smart enough to know how to _take_ control in a battle," he said. "Anyway, bet on the winner?"

"Naw, not this time. I need to win some battles and fill up my pockets first."

"Aw shit, someone's scared of losing money!" Barry mocked.

"Barry, you're really ticking me off. I'm going to give you lots of damage," Lucas shot back with a sly smile.

Barry took a quick glance around him, seeing men in suits and tuxedoes and women in their own proper dress clothing before looking a bit sheepishly at his own simple long-sleeve shirt and jeans, realizing how out of place he was. "Ah shit, I think we should've worn something more—wait, you have a suit on? Why?"

"Uh, I had the suit on since I walked in here, dude."

"Okay… but why the fuck do you have a suit on?" he curiously pressed, holding back mocking laughter.

"You don't get to laugh, man. I'm not the one out of place here," Lucas shot back with a smirk. "Dawn told me to wear this."

"Damn: did she not like what you wore regularly or did she think there was a dress code or something this time?"

"That's what I asked her, but then she tells me that we were gonna head out for dinner at some nice place tonight after the contest, so I was like 'Okay', and now I'm in this," Lucas replied, gesturing to his suit.

"Ooooh, so _that's_ why Alyssa was asking me about all the fine dining places in Floaroma. I thought she just wanted to eat at one of the places since they're all Haute and classy. Dammit: I thought it'd be the perfect way to take her out, too, man."

"Why don't you do just that, then?" Lucas asked, confused.

"Are you shitting me? Asking her out to dinner right after Dawn asked you to dinner on _top_ of the fact that they coordinated that with each other: it'll look like I don't have an IQ over 10."

"It won't look far from the truth, then," Lucas jokingly sniggered, "But… Dawn's not asking me out or anything. At least, it didn't sound like that. We're just going somewhere nice to eat, spend some fun time together."

"Lucas, what the fuck do you think a date _is_?" Barry laughed. "Look, you are probably the smartest motherfucker I've ever met. I mean, I literally rode your back through like all of my STEM classes in high school, but _man_ are you dumb as fuck when it comes to women."

"Eh… I don't think you and I are that different on that last point."

"I had a girlfriend," Barry bluntly and confidently put.

"Yeah, and you told me it'd last 'forever', but apparently, 'forever' was two weeks and three days long," Lucas smirked again, rolling his eyes. "Not sure if that's evidence in your favor."

"Lucas, I didn't want to have to say this, but you've been shot down more times than aircraft during wars," Barry said with an eyebrow raised. "Look, you and I have no social limits and we're competitive as shit, so we can level each other with insults all-day long, but the point is, that when a girl asks you to dress nicely so the two of you can spend some the night with just each other at a Haute restaurant candle-lit tables, it means that she's asking you out," Barry plainly said. "Don't blow this, man."

Lucas took a moment to process what he'd just heard from Barry. "Damn, I really needed to hear that," Lucas said a bit nervously, worried that he may have given Dawn the wrong signal previously.

"Well, you did now, and you got far enough to get her to ask you out… so that's good. Just set your brain to cruise control, turn off your little head and use your big one, and just be sweetly candid with her. You literally _can't_ fuck this up."

"You underestimate my power."

"Don't try it."

"Yeah, I won't," Lucas laughed. "Now that I think about it, how about we make a bet again?"

"What changed your mind?" Barry asked, a bit excited.

"I want some cash for the dinner tonight," he said with a smile of realization. "And I might buy something for her later."

Lucas and Barry were deep in a conversation about what he and Dawn had agreed on when it came to pursuing Team Galactic the night before, and although it took a bit of arguing, Barry finally capitulated just as the curtain opened.

The same flamboyant and exuberant from the previous contest, Helena Roberts regally walked onto the stage with a headset and sparkling multi-colored rainbow-like outfit that fit snugly on her as she blew a kiss and waved to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the world-famous Floaroma Pokemon Contest!" she began to loud but refined and polite applause from the crowd. "I'm Helena Roberts, and I'll be your host for today's spectacular contest, where a lot of old and new faces will appear today with some of the most elite displays of class, elegance, and strength with their Pokemon partners: much like the beautiful city of Floaroma itself.

She took a last quick wave as the crowd settled down before she spoke again: "Before we begin, I'd like to introduce you to our three wonderful judges today: we have the famous former pro-football quarterback and fashion enthusiast Cam Brewton, academy-award winning actress and fashion designer Clara Fantine, and the current record for the greatest number of Top Coordinator titles won: Lisia Rain!" she announced with glee as the crowd cheered with applause, this time slightly more raucous than the last time. The three judges smiled and waved from chairs directly in front of the stage before their chairs turned to face the stage, their faces projected onto the screen in the middle of the stage. "And without further ado, let's begin the appeal's round with our first coordinator, Lucille Norrington!" she exuberantly announced as she walked off stage.

Lucille walked onto the stage, strutting in _very_ high heels and incredibly unappealing amount of sway, sending Barry's face into his palm. She _wore_ high-end designer clothing and clearly looked like many people's annual incomes combined, but it was so blatantly prosthetic and compensating it made you twist your face just looking at her. "You've got to be kidding me. Her? They're going to open with her?" Barry said with plain disappointment.

"I think it's random, but even the computer must've hesitated to pick her name out of the hat," Lucas caustically joked. "Even worse, I think that means her Bitch Battalion is nearby somewhere," Lucas muttered to Barry. "For their sakes, though, I hope not," he said as he cracked his knuckles.

Lucille had a mediocre appeal, scoring 23 points out of 30 for using a Seel to shoot an Ice Shard attack into the sky and shatter it with Headbutt before firing an Aura Beam into the ice-mist to create a hovering mist of glowing ice. But the Pokemon, though well-groomed and clearly expensive to maintain, simply lacked the practice to pull the final phase of the appeal off, firing the Aura Beam in a random direction that caused the shattered Ice Shard attack to glow for only a moment as the Aura Beam attack was aimed at a back corner of the stage instead. But perhaps the greatest atrocity of the performance wasn't the poor Seel's fault, as the audience watched with silent disapproval while Lucille angrily rebuked and recalled her Seel with a glare in her eye before walking off stage.

"I feel bad for that Seel, man. Imagine hoping all your life that you get a respectful, powerful trainer to bring out the best in you, so choose to get caught in a Pokeball instead of escaping, but then, it turns out your trainer is a prissy live-laugh-love girl," Barry mocked Lucille.

"I try not to think about it…" Lucas replied as Helena walked onto the stage again, unsure of how to respond to Lucille's unprofessional and unorthodox behavior on the stage before she left.

"Well… that was most certainly an interesting appeal for the contest, right?" she asked the crowd, who remained somewhat silent and awkwardly stunned by Lucille's behavior. "But, we do have many more outstanding appeals to come! 15, in fact. Our next contestant is _also_ an incredible trainer who showed off her prowess in the Jubilife City contest, Maria Chen!" she announced.

"Oh, I remember her. She had the Beautifly, right?" Lucas asked Barry.

"Yeah, she was good, too. I think Beautifly was called… Martha?" Barry responded. "She was the other coordinator I was concerned about last time, and I'm actually kinda' curious to see what she pulls up this time."

"Laura! Light 'em up!" Maria said as, to both Lucas and Barry's surprise, a Lapras came out of a luxury ball, landing with a thud on the floor as it raised its neck elegantly upwards, earning roaring applause from the crowd.

"Damn, she upped her game," Lucas almost worriedly said as Barry nodded with him silently, both intensely watching the contest.

Lucas shuddered a bit like Maria expertly guided the Lapras into an incredible series of physical maneuvers by using Ice Beam to nearly polish the stage in ice, letting the massive Lapras move around with exquisite grace and dexterity as though it were a little Lopunny, earning "oo's and "ah's" from the crows. "Now, Water gun on the ice!" Maria ordered, and her Lapras very skillfully drifted on the ice, facing backward as it cruised along at great speed and releasing a small jet of water onto the ice, covering the surface in a near-frictionless material, moving Laura faster and faster.

Maria's smile grew wider as the audience fell into silence: the Lapras, with each kick and push of its fins on the ice, gained more and more speed as it cruised around the stage like a figure skater, almost becoming a blur if you removed your focus for a few seconds, before she blurred herself completely in a blue haze, the ice and water slowly becoming caught in a wind of blue haze. "Now! Use Mist!" Maria ordered. A fine white mist exuded from the Lapras as it zipped at breakneck speeds across the stage, only revealing her fast and swirling silhouette in the mist. As the mist settled, the audience watched in shock as the speed of Laura began to fracture and shatter some of the ice, dragging fragments into a whirlwind of mist, ice, and water. "Finish it!" Maria ordered with pride, and the Lapras suddenly leaped out of the mist, flippers spread wide apart, belly facing toward the ground.

"Body Slam," Barry muttered, recognizing the move but not its application in the context of a contest.

Laura slammed with a jarring _THUD_ on the stage as the mist instantly dissipated and the iced stage she created with her Ice Beam fractured and sharded completely, finishing her appeal but at a cost: some of the fractured ice splintered and spiraled toward the judges in front of the stage, with Cam ducking to avoid a shard that ended up nearly shanking an audience member. She was awarded 25 points, which Lucas and Barry agreed was a fair score for her appeal, though both were secretly worrying that she might prove to be too much competition for either Dawn or Alyssa if she made it into the final battle rounds with a Lapras of that powerful attacking and speedy caliber.

Many moderate appeals went that day, a surprising number of which were for grass type appeals that all tried to mix Sunny Day to boost some kind of attack into becoming larger or stronger than the attack would regularly be. One contestant boosted a Bullet Seed attack with Sunny Day to turn her .22 slug-sized bullets into .50 cal bullets that shredded through the air and exploded into green powder like flak shells, while another coordinator used a Sunny Day and then a Mega Drain as her Ivysaur began to suck all of the light energy out of the bright aura created by the artificial sun through a powerful beam, giving the little creature incredible glow and sparkle as it felt the effects of absorbing all that energy.

But the judges were reluctant to give these mediocre contestants much point value, pointing out that although there were discipline and careful design in their execution of the attack, indicating that the Pokemon had been well trained, it was an appeal strategy that they had seen too many times to enjoy, awarding them little more than 20 points each.

"I think some of these coordinators are taking the 'Floaroma is a town full of grass and flowers' theme a little _too_ seriously," Barry said to Lucas, seeing yet another coordinator use a Sunny Day to boost a grass type attack's function.

"Eh, they're newcomers, and not everyone has as much talent as Dawn or Alyssa, right?"

Some more new coordinators gave their shots, some having lacking in execution, others lacking in originality or complexity, but overall, all lacking in a memorable and talented appeal that set them above the rest. All except for one, that is.

" Yo, yo, Sarah is next," Barry excitedly nudged a drowsy and bored Lucas.

"Huh, wha—oh. OH," he said with… interested awe as Sarah walked out from backstage in a beautiful velvety blue one-shoulder dress, revealing much more of one leg than the other as she walked onto the stage in a smooth, coordinated fashion in red high heels as her blonde hair and soft, hazel eyes seemed to simultaneously keep Lucas and Barry on the edge and slammed into the back of their seats. Something about her, her perfect hourglass shape, or beautifully infectious smile, smooth movements and curves made the two shift a little in their seats to sit more comfortably, the crowd roaring in thunderous applause and raucous whistles as she appeared on stage, which she pleasurably smiled and waved.

"Holy fuck, man, she's Arceus's ultimate test of a man's fidelity," Barry said with wide eyes.

A weak "Yeah," was all Lucas could manage before he slumped back in his chair. _"I think there's some shit in the Floaroma water, man. There's no fucking way that—how does a town this small have legitimately all the hot women in the world?"_ Lucas thought to himself. "I mean, she's got to have a flaw of some sort, though. Right? Perfect women don't… exist, do they?" he said as she began to make him question everything he'd thought about women for his entire life.

"You mean like she's… crazy or some shit like that?"

"Well, _all_ women are crazy to some extent, man. Or so a wise man once told me. But she… I've got a feeling something's off about her. I mean, nobody is _that_ hot without some kind of Achilles' heel in their personality, right?"

"Yeah, I guess, but what flaw would that possibly be? She's got the most Festival Plaza followers in Sinnoh, several designer brand sponsors, a dope acting career, and the power to turn gay men straight."

"I'm trusting my gut on this one. Someone that _not_ crazy on the outside is probably extra crazy on the inside."

"But who _gives_ a fuck. _Look_ at her, dude!" Lucas exclaimed, gesturing at Dawn.

"Flawless logic," Lucas nodded as the appeals round proceeded further along the line.

Sarah's performance was almost equally flawless with her almost dancing alongside her Brionne's sparkling Water Gun, Icy Wind, and Disarming Voice combo appeal to vibrate a dazzling and sparkling streams of water suspended in the air at the frequency of the tone she used, earning her thunderous applause from the crowd and a near-perfect 28 for 30 points.

As was with the last competition, Dawn and Alyssa were last up, with Barry and Lucas unable to pass up the many opportunities in each of their appeals to assert their likelihood to win the standing $400 bet. Alyssa went out first in a beautiful and flowing light green backless convertible maxi dress, surprising both Lucas and Barry as she used Aurelia, her Ponyta, instead of Julia, her Eevee, whom she had one the previous contest with. She approached onto the stage with almost princess-like composure and conduction, much to Barry's mesmerized joy and released the Ponyta into the air in one swift, elegant motion.

Aurelia took to the stage gallantly, landing firmly on her rear and then her front hooves, raising her front hooves up to stand on her hind legs before regally shaking her golden, fiery coat, as the audience cheered and hushed for a moment in awe at the exceptionally royal presence that had suddenly seized the stage.

Unlike the icy and sparkly appeals that had preceded her, Alyssa and Aurelia's appeal used an entirely different element to impress the audience. "Aurelia, light 'em up!" Alyssa happily said, gesturing her hand upwards as Aurelia simply stamped her anterior right hoof on the ground, shooting up a small vortex of fire around it before it disappeared, making the audience gasp.

"She's got this shit on _lock_. I helped her, you know," he proudly said to Lucas.

Aurelia then reared on her hind legs and stomped her front two legs, releasing a column of two little pillars of fire around both hooves when they fell this time. "Flame Charge!" Alyssa roared as Aurelia bolted across the stage, to and fro, leaving a spark and fiery trail behind her as she ran and each hoofbeat kicking up a small flame as it fell. Her running pattern created a flaming Z that spanned the whole width of the stage when she finished on the side of the stage opposite to Alyssa.

Alyssa then turned to face Aurelia: "Quick Attack," she said as her hand made a striking motion. Aurelia reared on her hind legs and stomped on her front, but this time no fire arose as she winded up and dashed across the stage at a speed she had yet to show during her appeal. She reached Alyssa in only a few seconds, but her incredible velocity as she blasted across the stage created a negative pressure air space behind her that formed a wake of air which wiped all of the fire on the stage cleanly in one swoop. Alyssa and Aurelia stood triumphantly as the plane of wind slowly wiped out all of the fires like an eraser across a whiteboard before it hit the two, causing Alyssa's dress to sway lightly in the wind as Aurelia's fiery fur fluttered for a moment before burning straight upwards again.

The audience erupted into incredible approval and admiration, cheering as they had done for no contestant before that night while Barry gave a smirk to Lucas. Alyssa gave a beautiful, polite curtsey as she recalled Aurelia and left the stage. Lucas rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he knew who the last coordinator of the appeals round would be: Dawn.

Helena introduced the final contestant of the appeals round, an up and coming coordinator who made her incredible debut in the Jubilife contest alongside the previous coordinator. Dawn didn't simply walk onto the stage, however. She absolutely seized control of every eye and mind that happened to focus on her as she placed one foot in front of the other, traversing the distance of the stage slowly and elegantly, waving to a cheery crowd.

Lucas had to be honest with himself: he'd fallen asleep before in the contest and felt drowsy even after Barry woke him up, but once he saw Dawn, the melatonin in his head made a run for the hills and he had the alertness of a three-year-old on caffeine. Dawn's beautiful backless red dress seemed just as eye-catching and perfect on the stage as it did in person when he saw her in the morning. _"That's the girl who wants to ask me out?"_ he thought to himself in disbelief as he looked around to see an anticipatory and supportive audience around him, some of whom he had to have assumed were her new fans after her Jubilife performance. _"Man, I have to be the luckiest dude in the world."_

Lucas turned to Barry with a smirk on his face. "I'm happy you helped Alyssa in her appeal because _that_ was good. But unless I strap you into your seat you won't be able to keep from giving the next contestant a standing ovation, man."

"Really? Is her appeal _that_ good or are your feelings for her getting to your head, lover boy?" Barry mocked, knowing that Lucas wouldn't know what to say to him.

The stage lights dimmed a bit again just before Dawn released Margaret onto the stage. The little Meditite floated gently downwards onto the ground using its psychic powers as the audience gasped at its dexterous descent. "Alright, Margaret, start this off with Meditate and Calm Mind!" she enthusiastically said. The audience began murmuring: Calm Mind and Meditate weren't exactly status moves that produced a lot of visual or sensory appeal, like Sunny Day or Roar, but Dawn had a smile curl at the ends of her mouth.

Margaret began to pulse an aura in various colors of purple and pink, much to Barry's surprise. "That's weird. The last time I saw her she had a simple pink aura," he said to Lucas, "What happened?"

"We trained her together. That's what happened," he said with a proud smile as the audience clapped for Margaret's beautiful display of colors as she rose off of the ground, eyes closed. "Rain Dance!" Dawn said, raising her hand. Margaret, still keeping her eyes closed, pulsed even more frequently as thunderous rain clouds began to form in the center of the stage, circling each other violently until they covered most of the stage where except for where Dawn and Margaret weren't. The rain began to pour onto the stage violently, with a majority of the poured water trickling down the _slight_ gradient in the stage silently into a hidden drainage system.

"Now, use Force Palm and Confusion!" Dawn called out, and Margaret followed through perfectly. She pushed one of her hands forward, and a massive invisible wall-like form pushed from behind the curtain of rain, splashing and sprinkling glittering droplets of water onto the audience while other droplets seemed to be deflecting and shattering in random directions before taking a linear pattern toward the ground. Lucas and Barry flinched a little as the and the first four rows were covered in little droplets of water as Margaret continued to send more and more invisible walls to slam into the falling rain and send them into the audience, earning a mixture of chuckles and amusing terror from some of the audience members. Lucas had a grin on his face as Dawn continued her appeal with steely confidence and ease.

"I hate water shows," Barry jokingly murmured to Lucas as the crowd gasped in awe. The display of water through small, independent parts that glowed with such strong intensity seemed to set Dawn far apart from her competition. In the dim lights, seeing such fluorescent lights sparkle and glimmer everywhere as they were pushed and glided along by invisible forces seemed to be a work of art to everyone in the audience.

"Aaaaaaaaand now," Lucas said, counting down on his fingers. With a simple snap of her fingers, Dawn watched with perfect content as the amazing display Margaret was holding up vanished in almost an instant. The clouds disappeared into a light fog that dissipated in seconds, and the magical downpour of rain was there no more in the next second as the stage lights finally came back on. Dawn gave a short curtsy to a roaring and cheering crowd before recalling Margaret and leaving the stage.

The judges released their scores a few moments after as the crowd fell into silence. Lucas and closed Barry eyes, hoping that Dawn and Alyssa would make it through to the battle round of the contest. Not only were there more coordinators here than in Jubilife, they were all of _much_ higher caliber. More importantly, there was cash on the line.

Helena appeared on the stage again, walking down to the judges to receive a small piece of paper from each judge before walking back up on stage. "Alright, ladies and gentleman. That was _certainly_ a spectacular appeal, and it seems the judges agree. With the highest score of tonight's appeal round of 29, Dawn Avery has just placed herself at the top of the bracket for the upcoming battle round!" she announced grandly.

"Fuck yes!" Lucas said loudly with enthusiasm, as he almost stood up pumping his fist before quickly realizing how many stares he was getting from disapproving adults, buttoning his shirt and sitting back down again next to a sniggering Barry.

"Heh, and people say _I_ have no self-control," he laughed. "It's okay, Lucas," he said, patting his shoulder, "perhaps one day, with enough patience and hard work, you too can be as calm, focused, and disciplined as me," he mocked.

"Barry, aside from your mum, I think I'm the only person in the world who can _understan_ d you when you're excited. Vowels, consonants, syllables: the speed of your speech just blurs the line between these them and makes our beautiful language a bloody amalgamation that oozes from your mouth. _So_ much discipline, huh?" Lucas joked back.

"Of course, she's not alone in proceeding to the battle round: we have seven other spectacular coordinators who are equally pumped to win today's contest joining her. Congratulations to Sarah Scharnhorst, Maria Chen, Alyssa McClide, Lucille Avarizia, Sydney Ardennes, Becca Leyte, and Emma Somme in making it to the battle round tonight! We'll give our coordinators, judges, and you, the audience, a quick break before the next round, so now's the perfect time to grab some popcorn because you'll want it for the _explosive_ battles we're about to have on stage," she said with an infectious smile, before waving and walking off of the stage while the crowd still cheered on in excitement for the next round.

"I guess I'll meet you back here?" Lucas said as he buttoned his coat while Barry got up.

"We can make it procedure at this point," Barry nodded.

There were twelve exits to the auditorium, so even crowd of almost a two thousand was able to leave the area with relative pace. Lucas walked outside into the throngs of people lining the hallway that led back into the atrium of the contest center. _"Shit, how am I gonna ever spot Dawn in this crowd?"_ he thought to himself. _"I've got to tell her how spectacular she was… or maybe I'll tell her at dinner?"_ he contemplated as he shoved slowly and uncomfortably through the crowd.

He'd made his way into the center of the atrium, poking his head above the crowd to see if he could catch even a trace of her bright, red dress. Still nothing. He continued to walk forward slowly when he felt a hand on his shoulder, startling him as he quickly spun on his heels backward only to see Dawn smiling back at him, holding her laughter. "Dawn, you have to stop doing that," he said with a sigh of relief.

"I've been shouting your name for the past two minutes!" she protested with a giggle. "But you just went full-on Barry and just bulleted through the crowd!" she laughed, earning an eye-roll from him.

"Well, now you found me," he smiled back, "And based on your performance, I think I'll be able to pay for dinner for both of us tonight," he said with a smile.

"Huh?" she said, confused.

"I made a bet with Barry that you'd win first. $400, actually. And so far, I'm in a good place," he grinned.

"How are you making bets with him? You said you didn't have any—"

"I know you're going to win," he said with beaming conviction. "There's literally no risk in that bet."

"You're a gambling addict," she joked, poking at his chest.

"Yeah? It's all your fault, then. If you didn't perform so well, we wouldn't have this problem," he said with a chuckle. "You have this in the bag, Dawn. There's only one more step in the race."

"I'm not sure what's more fun: doing these contests or doing them knowing someone like you is there for me."

"Oh, definitely the latter," Lucas confidently asserted with a smirk. "Oh, by the way, I have some tips for you for the next round?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I _actually_ do my homework, Dawn," he joked. "Listen," he said, leaning in close to her ear.

Dawn's eyes widened with surprise as she heard what he was saying. "Are you sure it'll work?"

"When you're out of options, will it even matter?"

"A 'Hail Mary'?" she asked.

"Oh, look! You're catching on to football already! Yeah, a Hail Mary," he nodded approvingly before looking back at his watch. "Oh shit, you better run back. The contest's about to start in like five. Meet me back here?"

"No. Meet me outside the coordinator's area over there," she said, pointing to the separate section Lucas saw earlier that excluded everyone but coordinators from entering.

"But why? I'm not even allowed—"

"Oh, just do it," she smiled, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "You better cheer for me!" she said, as she walked back into the crowd toward the coordinator's area.

"Yeah," he softly as she moved out of earshot, "I will."

He made an early walk down to the auditorium so that he wouldn't be pressed up and into all of the other attendees making their way back in, quickly taking his seat next to Barry.

"What's the plan after?"

"I thought I told you: I'm heading out to dinner?"

"What? No, I meant, for battling. For gyms. What's the next move?"

"Oh, I think the next one in our circuit's in Eterna City."

"Eterna?"

"Yeah."

"So we've got to get through the forest, then?"

"I would think so, yeah. That'll take us a couple days even if we do nothing but walk at a breakneck pace."

"I thought it'd be a quick day-walk. Why would it take a couple of days?" Barry asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Um, yeah, for _you_ it's a day walk. For the rest of us who have legs instead of wheels, it'll take some time to get through. Besides, there are plenty of wild Pokemon and stuff to look at there. I mean, it's the second biggest forest in the world, it's a beautiful winter, the holidays are comin', and I've got equipment for a camp and a sense of adventure." Lucas enthusiastically smiled.

"Yeah, it's a great place to have battles, too, force the battlers to work with the forest environment and all, yeah? That gym leader in Eterna is a grass type leader, too, which means good practice for the both of us," Barry nodded.

"Definitely. It's the total opposite of the last gym for me. Caesar's weak to grass, but Prometheus and Galahad have got the hand on grass."

"It's more of a neutral matchup for me, this time. I can't easily blast through like I did with Roark. I mean, I _will_ blast through in five minutes like I did last time, but I might have to use 10% of my maximum power this time," Barry said cockily.

"So might the gym leaders," Lucas scoffed as Helena took the stage again, introducing herself quickly before starting off the procedure and bracket for the battle round. Quickly explaining to the audience the rules and the regulations of the battle as the screen lit up with the faces and Pokemon of the first two contenders: Alyssa and Lucille.

"Oh, shit," Barry smiled. "I did _not_ see this one coming."

He most certainly couldn't have seen it coming. Alyssa held her own expertly with her Ponyta's effective speed and great physical attacks, ramming the Seel with Quick Attacks and Embers from range and nearby, but the Aurelia's inherent weakness to water made it a painfully uphill battle. Lucille was fortunate her Seel knew Aqua Jet, as she simply spammed the rapid water type move to keep up with the speeding Aurelia and deliver effective damage. Every time the Seel coated itself in a thick bullet-shaped form of water and came dashing toward Aurelia, Alyssa would give perfect instructions for a maneuver and a counter, but despite Lucille's monotonous and one-sided strategy, the sheer effectiveness of her type advantage and her Seel's attack pulled her the lead.

Barry's hands were tightly balled up into fists while Alyssa maintained her calm and attention perfectly as she had done at the start of the battle, her disadvantages clearly not affecting her mentality. She took a quick glance at the clock, seeing there was only ten seconds left in the match as she took a deep breath and clicked back into the battle while Lucille had an undeservingly smug and cocky expression.

Barry fumed with excitement and tension in his seat. "I'm going to strangle Lucille in ten seconds. Hold me back," he muttered to Lucas, showed silent agreement.

"Aurelia, use Double Kick!" Alyssa ordered with confidence. She knew that she'd done her best to draw it out: there wasn't any more time left and she had to give it the best shot she had.

"Meet her with Aqua Jet: Tiffany," Lucille almost disrespectfully spat, pridefully losing interest in a battle that, unbeknownst to her, she could lose in the next instant.

Aurelia charged rapidly across the stage, building speed and a blinding red energy in her front legs as she leaped towards the Seel which was surrounded by a bullet jacket of water as it zipped toward her. Aurelia collided with the water-type, landing one of her hooves into Tiffany's side, but the speed of the collision with Tiffany's water-type attack seemed to drain her of her stamina as both hit the ground as the timer ticked from five seconds on the screen.

Aurelia shivered as she struggled to get her footing off of her fall, her flaming body now flickering and sputtering on fumes, while her opponent fell on her back and clumsily rolled onto her belly. Barry grit his teeth while Alyssa remained stoic and disciplined while Aurelia finally hit the floor, her healthbar on the screen ticking back the tiny bit of health she had left as the screen lit up to pronounce Lucille the winner, who conceitedly flicked her hair to the audience, not even bothering to shake Alyssa's hand as she quickly blew a kiss to a horrified audience and left the stage.

As some form of minimal justice, the crowd seemed to cheer in acknowledgment of Alyssa's self-control and capacity to fight an uphill battle with such skill as she recalled Aurelia, leaving the stage with just as much charisma and grace as she came despite her loss. Barry looked as though he might explode or kill somebody in his seat, and to be frank, Lucas shared his distaste for Alyssa.

"I don't like her," he said with a gruelingly hateful tone while Lucas took a sip of his tea that he'd bought from a vendor in the atrium before he walked in. "I'll—"

"If Arceus is real, he'll keep her and her gang out of our range," Lucas said as he sat straight.

"Poor Alyssa," Barry sympathetically said, his anger transforming into his underlying sadness for Alyssa. "She did _all_ the right things. She was at a severe type disadvantage, and it's not like she can train her Pokemon to counter opposite types at this level, but… I don't know how Lucille did it. I… I don't understand. It's not fair…"

"Oh, don't worry, bruv. Even if she made it past this round, guess who'll have a chance to gun her down in front of everyone?" Lucas said with a cunning smile.

"Dawn?"

"Exactly. Poetic justice," he said before taking another sip of his drink.

"Well, this is yours," Barry said, pulling his wallet out as he handed Lucas the money he'd just secured by winning his bet. "This isn't money I owe you from losing the bet. Consider it payment to watch Dawn pummel Lucille," he said with a vengeful smile.

The next few battles proceeded with relative simplicity. The higher seed competitor knocked the lower one out with ease, making the battles boring to watch but speedy as the first round quickly cleared out. Dawn, Sarah, and Maria made quick work of their competition, setting up a semi-final bracket that set up Dawn against Lucille and Sarah against Maria.

 _"_ _Empty the clip, Dawn,"_ Lucas thought as he imagined Dawn crushing Lucille in front of an audience for a second time in a contest with a vicious smile, _"That ribbon's yours."_

Dawn and Lucille appeared at opposite ends of the stage, the crowd cheering wildly as Dawn waved to them while Lucille seemed irked that Dawn was the center of the stage. "Hi, Dawn," she smirked smugly as they shook hands before the match, "How do you want to lose: quickly or slowly?"

"I hope your ego survives losing to me a second time," Dawn said with an unsettling smile as she spat at Lucille with the same charisma and glow she showed the crowd moments before, not giving the audience any hint there was any bad blood between the two while Lucille's sour expression made her appear to be the lesser competitor.

The two moved to opposite ends of the stage where they each held up their chosen Pokeballs high. The crowd made the countdown from three seconds while Dawn and Lucille stared each other viciously and silently.

"Go, Hazel!" Dawn shouted as she threw Hazel's Pokeball onto the stage just as Lucille released her Seel.

"Oh, another fire type," Lucille said with mock sympathy. "I paid good money for this Seel. Money well spent, hm?"

Dawn stayed silent, a confident smile breaching her face while her Monferno hopped happily and excitedly while her tail flame flowed with a purplish-blue flame which grew in length and flared ferociously. "Use Leer!" Dawn ordered.

"Aqua Jet!" Lucille ordered hastily. Hazel stared down menacingly, furrowing its bright blue brows and narrowing its eyes, causing the Seel to shudder and shiver before it coated itself almost hesitantly in a bright, sparkling coat of water that formed a bullet shape which used to jet itself through the air across the stage.

"Hazel, duck and roll!" Dawn ordered as the screaming whistle of the jetting Seel grew louder. Hazel had only begun to throw her weight to the left when the Aqua Jet from Tiffany slammed into Hazel, throwing the Monferno off its balance while the water bullet burst like a grenade blast into it, leaving it on its side and soaking on the far left side of the stage while Tiffany made a quick retreat back to Lucille's side of the stage.

Tiffany gave a condescending look to Dawn as if to say, "Enough?" Hazel shook the water out of its fur as best she could while she stood up, her fire diminished in brightness and intense color and her healthbar now down to only 60%. Dawn stood straight, still maintaining a powerful smile while Lucas sat absolutely smitten in his seat. "Hazel: Mach Punch!" she ordered with a cunning smile.

Hazel reacted almost instantaneously, as if she predicted Dawn's command, as her forearm and hand glowed in an incredibly rich, red color that exuded a fierce, brutish glow. Hazel sunk her powerful feet into the ground as she dashed with incredible speed across the stage toward a puzzled-looking Tiffany.

"Just use Aqua Jet and finish this," Lucille dismissively said. The poor Seel followed accordingly, surrounding herself in a veil of water again as she blasted at Hazel. Both attacks almost always went first, given their distinguishing component was the blazing speed they granted their opponent, but Hazel's naturally nimble and acrobatic form as a Monferno gave her the clear edge in maneuvering toward her target, a fat, round Seel.

Zig-zagging across the stage without losing even a bit of her speed, she forced Tiffany to slow her jet significantly when charging so as to ensure that her bullet-like trajectory would not miss completely. "JUST HIT HER!" Lucille irritated shrieked at Tiffany who finally got herself airborne and committed to a trajectory while Dawn flashed yet another cunning smile.

"Slow down and get under!"Dawn commanded, to which Monferno reacted with elegant motion. Seeing that Tiffany had a fixed trajectory, Hazel threw stiffened both of her legs and came to a grinding halt as she slid onto her back, further slowing her pace and lowering her height as Tiffany flew right over her as she raised her energized punch into the Seel's soft underbelly, throwing it back up in the air as its water vortex simply dissipated while she fell back down with an unsettling _DUD_ on the floor.

The crowd gasped as the Seel winced, slowly getting up while Lucille stared blankly in shock for a short time before shaking herself back into her senses. "L-lucky shot," she stammered.

"Hit her again with Mach Punch!" Dawn ordered.

"Aqua Jet!" Lucille commanded nervously this time.

The Seel had barely gotten itself up and surrounded itself in a vortex of water when the much more physically capable and faster Monferno had seeming teleported to her with blinding speed and the same, frightening glowing red fist. "Aim lower this time!" Dawn corrected in the middle of Hazel's attack.

"Angle out of the attack!" Lucille desperately shouted, but Hazel's tail flame flashed a brilliant purple again in her attack, wowing the audience into silence as she bent her knees, lowered her elbow, and delivered another strike into the belly of Tiffany, jarring her harder this time as she was flung across the stage back into Lucille. Tiffany's lowered defense stat from Hazel's Leer at the very beginning of the game began to show. Riddled with fear of her glaring opponent, she couldn't bring herself to defend or angle out of such powerful, physical attacks from Hazel.

"Would you look at that! Hazel's at a type disadvantage but Dawn's got the score Tiffany down to 10% of her health!" Lucas excitedly shouted, clapping for her in the now roaring crowd. "Just _look_ at Hazel. She's got that killer instinct!"

"Finish this with Mach Punch, again!" Dawn apathetically said to Hazel, who was already on the edges of her feet, poised and itching to strike the final blow. Lucille had barely gotten a chance to open her mouth before Hazel blasted across the stage one more time, this time giving a punch from the side, instead of from below, across the center of a wide-eyed and broadside Tiffany, who, instead of flying across the stage, simply collapsed where she was in front of Lucille from the force of the punch. Hazel had slowly trotted on all fours as she made her way back, her long wavy tail flaring with brightness as the announcer's board changed to reduce Tiffany's health to zero.

"Yes!" Lucas roared from his seat with excitement before once again coming to his senses and apologizing to his seat neighbor as Barry smirked at him.

Dawn waved slowly with a grin to the crowd while Lucille silently cursed under her breath at the poor Seel near her feet before she recalled her and stormed off of the stage in her pretentious high heels and long strides. Dawn gave a graceful curtsy before Helena walked onto the stage at her side, raising Dawn's hand up as the victor before the judges, the audience, and Lucas, who had the most shit-eating grin on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our first finalist of tonight's contest, Dawn Avery!" Helena announced with glee to an applauding audience. "She's certainly beat difficult adversaries, some to which she had an ostensible disadvantage, to get where she is now, but we've yet to find out who her competitor will be: please welcome Sarah Scharnhorst and Maria Chen, our last two semi-finalists for the battle that will decide who moves on to battle Dawn in the legendary Floaroma Contest Finals!" she happily pronounced before walking off of the stage with Dawn calmly and gracefully trailing right behind her.

"What if it was Sarah and Dawn in the finals?" Barry asked with a stupid grin, "Who would you want to win?"

"Why is that even a question? Of course, I'd want Dawn to win," Lucas said with a plain and dismissive face.

"Are you _sure_ about that?" Barry mockingly pressed.

"Barry, I will tear your spleen out," Lucas deadpanned back, "Dawn worked harder than anyone else here. I saw her train. She deserves to win," he suddenly said with a deeper, more invested tone to which Barry gave silent acknowledgment, refusing to mess with him any further.

Vivian enthusiastically announced the final semifinal battle between Maria and Sarah as the two both appeared on the stage as Dawn and Lucille had before them. The two gave a respectful nod to each other from the opposite ends of the stage, a silent display of courtesy and sportsmanship.

With a confident smile on their faces, both trainers released their Pokemon: Maria's Lapras landed with a heavy yet graceful presence on the stage while Sarah's Brionne arrived with an elegant, vibrant presence. They both glared at each other from opposite ends of the stage, watching each other with burning competitive intent as the audience cheered for them before any contest had even yet begun.

The clock counted down to zero as both Sarah and Maria instructed their Pokemon to take up defensive moves, causing an already severe resistance to water between both types to become even stronger with Mud Sport used by both Pokemon. The defense between the two was so strong against the strong water type moves that were used as the main attacks of each Pokemon that Sarah and Maria that the two began to immediately make offensive adjustments to their strategies of attack. The massive yet nimble Lapras repeatedly used a powerful, thundering Body Slam attack as per Maria's order while the more slender and fast-moving Brionne began to release massive pulses of Fairy Wind that forced, although slowly, the enemy Lapras to take damage. There was a point where they began to show clear signs of a strategic and confrontational stalemate, but the stalemate was fast broken as Sarah began to call on Brionne to use Sing and Disarming voice.

Brionne expertly slowed her opponent and the audience's noise and motion down to a complete standstill with a beautiful, smooth, and lovely melody. Sarah and Maria knew not to pay attention to the melody: it was a primal trap. But the Lapras heard Brionne's almost piano-like voice that slowly, methodically, and carefully recited a melody that began to induce almost immediate drowsiness and sleepiness in the middle of her attacks and battles, which she almost immediately lost in the hands of a Sarah Scharnhorst who predicted exactly where there would be a flaw on Maria's end, preparing a method and attack for _every_ one of her attacks and responses to her own attacks, skillfully chipping away at Maria's Lapras' HP on the stage slowly, painfully, but steadily and in a grandiose and intense fashion that had the crowd roaring and clapping with wild excitement for the competitors as their talented caliber weapons continued to fire at each other.

The Lapras did make a significant hit on Sarah's Brionne, slamming on top of her before she had gotten a real chance to escape or to regain some of her health and condition back. The Brionne very nimbly tried to make the dodge, moving to the side form the incoming attack, using its flippers to guard itself.

But Sarah was on the defensive end for only a moment as she quickly came back in full force, pushing what little type advantage she could muster in the match to begin a powerful and beautiful onslaught of attacks. She had Brionne unleash a flurry of Fairy Winds into the Lapras. Lapras, although being a larger target with a greater defensive potential, had a difficult time holding back the nimble and light cruiser strategy of the Brionne. Brionne moved around the stage seemingly unpredictably and confusingly, never maintaining a traceable trajectory while firing Fairy Wind attacks throughout.

Maria did her best to improve the firepower and offensive capability of her Lapras with Curl Up and Bulk Up, but Brionne maintained a great distance, reducing Lapras' overall accuracy while Brionne's already broad and range-based attacks such as Fairy Wind and Icy Wind worked their way across the distance between the two like sparkling, glittering clouds of tremendous power. Before long, Lapras was unable to keep up with the immense damage per minute that Brionne was unleashing, even though each of the Lapras' shots were more powerful and devastating the Brionne's. Sarah brought the battle to a close as she called for Brionne to fuse together an Icy Wind and Fairy Wind together in a powerful combination attack that blended together a powerful vortex of brightness that exuded a cool gust through the audience as it lit up the stage while it laced the air with a dizzyingly sugary glitter.

Lapras shudder, keeping its eyes focused and heated on the opponent all the while before it finally gave in to its weakness and collapsed. Lucas and Barry stared ahead in shock as they both realized that although Sarah was, as of then, an established actor and performer, she had established herself as a worthy contender in contests over the matter of one battle.

Vivian returned on stage to announce the winner and to mark the start of the final round while Lucas and Barry discussed what the outcome of the contest might be. "Sarah has momentum, man. This is just her first contest and she's pushed all the way to the finals pretty easily," Barry argued, "I think she's going to keep moving at that pace until she wins."

"Yeah? Well, Dawn did the _exact_ same thing last time. So did Alyssa. We had two different outcomes. The fact that she has momentum doesn't mean she'll carry it. It only proves the truth of the matter asserted and nothing else," he said back. "She's going to get a ribbon today," he smiled confidently.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we now have the stage set for our _final_ battle to determine the winner of the Floaroma contest. Dawn Avery and Sarah Scharnhorst have proven themselves to be extremely capable and worthy opponents of each other, defeating multiple opponents and impressing a panel of distinguished judges beyond their competitors, but we can only name one winner here today. Could you please welcome to the stage the finalists of today's contest!" she finished as the crowd broke into applause.

"I can't wait to see the look on Dawn's face after this battle," Lucas said to Barry.

"Why?"

"She's playing against, arguably, one of the biggest celebrities here with an exotic Alolan Pokemon who has a type advantage. If she leaves with a victory, she'll not only get a ribbon but the attention of everyone in Sinnoh," Lucas speculated, "I'm talking about momentum for her other contests," he smiled at Barry just as Dawn and Sarah had taken their respective positions at either side of the stage.

The audience again counted down from three as the two contestants faced off, Pokeballs in hand. The screen animated with the faces of the trainers and their Pokemon just as the countdown hit zero and the two trainers released their Pokeballs.

"Go! Hazel!" Dawn shouted as her Monferno took the stage yet again while Sarah released her Brionne, Marylin.

Unlike the previous battle, both contestants seemed to take a moment, a brief pause, before unleashing their attacks on the opponent. _"She has the type advantage," Dawn_ thought as she hesitated to attack first _, "Hazel will have to fire off as many times as she can to win this."_

"Hazel! Open up with Leer!" Dawn ordered, and just an in her previous battle, the Monferno began to stick its intimidating, energetic, and fearless presence into Marylin's eyes, even though Marylin had a clear type advantage. Hazel pounded her chest, lowered her knees, and planted herself in a runners position, ready to sprint out at the confused and somewhat worried Brionne.

"Charge with Mach Punch!" Dawn ordered to Hazel, snapping her finger as she gave her order. Hazel waited for a moment before striking, and Lucas' eyes widened as he anticipated what was coming.

"Counter with Protect!" Sarah confidently said, making a defensive signal to her Brionne. Marylin quickly grounded herself by planting her flippers contralaterally, generating a pulsing, blue-green aura that formed a deflective turtleback barrier to incoming front attacks, virtually denying any point of good impact angle and rendering her defense impermeable.

Hazel's energized hand collided sharply with Protect barrier, shattering it, although the no damage was done to Marylin behind the barrier. But almost immediately, Hazel changed directions on a dime and swung her other fist into her opponent, knocking Marylin on her back while Hazel made a hasty retreat back to Dawn before the downed Brionne had a chance to counter. The crowd roared with excitement and applause as Marylin quickly made her way back on her flippers while Sarah stared in disbelief.

"How… how'd she do that? You can't break through a protect barrier!" Barry said in shock.

"You can if you're using Feint. Hazel never used Mach Punch at all."

"Are you high? She very clearly just used Mach Punch!"

"Nope. Dawn played a trick: she knew that Sarah would throw up a Protect to avoid getting slammed by the Mach Punch, so she snapped her fingers before the attack. It's a code she and I came up with to say one attack and but have our Pokemon perform another."

"Holy shit that's sneaky. She just got free damage off of that turn, then?"

"Yep! And Marylin isn't going to have the strength to make another Protect barrier on the next turn—"

"Which means that Hazel can fire off Mach Punch unopposed!"

"Open fire, Hazel!" Dawn shouted with enthusiasm just as Hazel ran back towards Marylin, arm glowing with the incredibly brilliant red that the audience was used to seeing by now. Hazel hit the Brionne with a solid uppercut, and although the attack didn't have much force, it was quick enough to stun Marylin for a moment, giving time for Hazel to get out of close range where she could be attacked.

Sarah looked at the scoreboard, noticing that Brionne's points were near half health, whereas Hazel had all of her health intact since the start of the battle. Her eyebrows momentarily shot up in surprise before she fixed her stance again, a look of eager competition spreading across her form. "Oh boy, it looks I'm watching a batter wind up for a swing. She's got _something_ ," Barry surmised as he watched her.

"Marylin, use Water Gun, now!" she ordered.

"Hazel avoid—" Dawn began, but even before she could finish her sentence, the Brionne discharged a quick beam of water that shot across the stage, colliding squarely in Hazel's chest, knocking her back. Steam rose from her tail flame is at sparked and spat the water it made contact with. The impact wasn't much, but Hazel shivered and shuddered as the energetic water shot began to work on her like a slow, topical poison. Dawn watched in shock as her health points dropped to nearly half in one hit.

"Great job, Marylin!" Sarah said with an alluring smile as the audience began to roar and applaud the development of the battle. "Finish it with one more Water Gun. Don't let Hazel get close to you," she said, knowing that Hazel's speed and low special defense would render her stronger in close quarters and weaker at longer ranges, precisely the opposite skillset of her Brionne. "Keep your distance and use Water Gun, again!"

Brionne fired offset another shot of the powerful, watery bullet at Hazel, but this time, Hazel had more time to react. Dawn had just opened her mouth, but Hazel had already instinctively dug her feet into the ground for a powerful leap into the air, throwing herself into a spiraling jump that moved her away from the blast, but the water still manage to splash her left arm as she dodged it, doing some minor damage but now completely leveling her as it would have done if it made direct contact.

"Again, Water Gun!" Sarah ordered, reasoning that Hazel couldn't keep dodging forever as Hazel landed on all fours, poised to spring up for a dodge on the next Water Gun attack coming her way.

 _"_ _Gah, she can't keep dodging this stuff forever!"_ Dawn thought, _"There's got to be a way for Hazel to get ONE more shot off…"_ Her eyes widened as she took a momentary, fleeting glance at Lucas in the audience before a smile crept across her face. _"A Hail Mary."_

She completely revised her stance from one leaning into the battle to one where she stood, strong and poised. Hazel immediately stopped in her tracks, retreating from the incoming attacks. Marylin couldn't hit her, but Hazel's sudden but linear retreat made her an easier target for a short while before she made a sharp 180-degree turn to face her opponent again.

"Alright Hazel," Dawn said with a cool tone, looking at the clock to see 30 seconds left before turning back to Haze, "Use Ember". Hazel opened fire with a powerful ball of flame, one of such force and fire that she'd never created before, using her new powers as a Monferno to her fullest extent, sending the flaming sphere directly into Marylin. The audience gasped in shock as Dawn fired a weaker, less effective attack against the water type. _"This an uphill battle, an uphill shot, but I've got to give it all I've got. It's a risk, This may not work… but I trust Lucas. I've got to do it, or I don't stand a chance of winning at all,"_ she thought to herself.

The fireball Ember attack made strong contact with Brionne, who was caught by surprise in between her Water Gun attacks. It didn't do much damage. She shrugged it off. But as she reared her head back to charge one more attack of Water Gun, she suddenly fell forward, struggling to get up as sparks flew from the side of the area where the Ember attack hit. Her healthbar took a small deduction as the sparks flew out of her further, knocking her off her flippers again before she shuddered as she stood up.

"A burn wound," Lucas smile. "Your Hail Mary worked after all, Dawn."

"Yeah, she should be the Jubilife Packers quarterback with that move like that," Barry nodded on the side.

"Alright, Hazel. We have to finish this. Together," Dawn said with enthusiastic energy, "Let's go! Ember and Mach Punch combination attack!" she ordered.

"Use Aqua Jet! Take her out before she gets to you!" Sarah countered. "You need to hit her before she gets to you!"

Marylin launched herself with fierce velocity, shooting herself at Hazel while she coated herself as Hazel's previous opponent did in a veil of spiraling water that propelled her in trajectory at a rapid pace toward Hazel.

On the opposite end, she began brewing a fierce Ember fireball in her mouth as he hand once again took on the fearsome red color before charging at full speed toward her opponent. The two met in the middle of the stage, Hazel coming from underneath Marylin, who was coming in like a shell from above. But right in the moment of collision, Marylin shuddered again, more sparks flying from her burn as her veil of water instantly collapsed in on itself and splashed harmlessly onto the floor. Hazel, in the blink of an eye, smashed her fist and her fiery Ember attack into Marylin at once, sending her sparking and unconscious back to her trainer's feet.

Hazel went back to Dawn, trotting on all fours with a bit of a hindrance in her steps, her health very low from her exerted energy and running, but still conscious, still with flaming spirit. The crowd once again applauded and cheered, thrilled to bits as Helena came onto the stage to announce the winner, a small, gleaming item in her left hand. "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems that we've had ourselves an _explosive_ final battle for this contest! Surely one to remember. Dawn Avery, you are now the winner of this year's Floaroma contest, and as such, the Sinnoh Contest Commission awards you this ribbon, one step along your way to becoming Sinnoh's Top Coordinator!" she beamed.

Helena handed her a beautiful, red, white, and black ribbon, glossed and flowing with color: certainly an elite decorative piece. Dawn hoisted it high above, and once again, the audience seemed to have a resurgence in enthusiasm.

"She did it," Lucas said, pumping his fist. "She… did it. She won!"

"Yeah, she did," Barry said with a half sigh, "Here's what I owe you," he said, handing Lucas some bills reluctantly. "I've only got $300 on me now, but I can pay you the other one hundred once you get back to the Pokemon Center after your dinner. Just give me a knock, and I'll have it out to ya', okay?"

"Deal, but I honestly can't even think about the bet right now. Look at her, man. She's so happy. Her smile… it's beautiful," he said. "And she worked so hard for this, too. I… can't even tell you how happy _I_ am right now."

"Sounds like you have a pretty good setting to precede your dinner with her, huh? That'll go well for you."

"I hope it does, yeah," he said as he continued to clap with the rest of the audience for Dawn.

Dawn stood on the stage, but even in the darkness of the audience's area, she could spot a couple of familiar faces sitting side by side, although it would have been hard to recognize the one as he usually didn't wear a suit. Lucas sat in his seat with a tender smile on his face, frozen as Dawn smiled back at him knowingly before waving to the crowd and heading backstage.

 _"_ _I did it, Lucas,"_ Dawn thought as she looked at the ribbon in her hands, _"This one's for you."_

 **Alright! That was a HEAVY chapter, but I'm glad I finished it. As I said, I've got a little over half of the next chapter done already, so I'll upload that ASAP. Anyway, as usual, every review you guys give is HIGHLY appreciated, and I'll always give some kind of feedback to any deep, meaningful reviews and criticisms you guys drop. I know there are a couple of reviews I haven't gotten to yet from the last chapter, but I promise, I'll get there soon!**


	20. Chapter 20: A Fight In the Snow

**Yeah, yeah, I know. I promised I would upload another chapter a LONG time back, but the AN at the end of the story has an answer and some good news regarding that. And with that, here's the 20** **th** **chapter of this story!**

Chapter 20: A Fight in the Snow

Lucas left the audience early, waiting outside by the contestant's area where Dawn said she'd wait for him. _"She won,"_ he thought to himself, _"She's got her first win against some of the best contestants in Sinnoh, nonetheless,"_ he thought. He then noticed a crowd of reporters and photographers, similar to the one he saw before the contest started, gathering in the near the atrium, slowly following someone out quickly. _"I'm guessing that was Sarah,"_ he thought, _"Makes sense: you'd want to leave this place ASAP if you want to avoid annoying press coverage."_ He kept waiting a few minutes more, realizing what Dawn's immense victory today meant. Floaroma was one of the more elite preliminary contests in Sinnoh, and it was certainly a televised event, meaning that she'd made put herself on the map, and analysts and fans of the Sinnoh Contest would be all over her prospects and potential for the rest of the season.

He decided to lean on the wall right in front of the entrance, arms folded and one leg bent against it for extra support, occasionally checking his watch. "Lucas!" he heard a familiar voice call out as he quickly popped his head up to see Dawn waving at him from the entrance. He gave a quick smile and made his way across to her before she ran toward him and met him in the middle, almost throwing herself on to him before she pressed herself onto him in a tight hug before quickly pulling him back, "Quick, you have to follow me," she said, pulling on his arm excitedly like a little girl.

As amused as Lucas was, he wasn't exactly sure where she was taking him. "Am even allowed in there?"

"Would ask you to come if you weren't? Come on," she pressed, pulling someone who weighed forty pounds more than she did with relative ease as Lucas passively let himself get pulled along.

The two walked into a small lounge for the contestants with necessary refreshments and amenities before she continued to quickly pull him through a long hallway. "Can you at least tell me where we're going?"

"Okay, so before the battle, you know how we have a bit of time to sit here, rehearse what we're going to do and get some time to plan, right?" she said, quickly through her short breaths.

"That doesn't answer my question, but yes," Lucas said, an eyebrow raised.

"I'm getting to it, I'm getting to it. So I was waiting here, and I usually walk back and forth when I'm thinking, and who do you think was nice enough to take notice and strike up a conversation?"

"I… wouldn't know. Who?"

" _Sarah Scharnhorst._ She came in after winning her first battle, and asked me if I was nervous. And somehow, the conversation went from me a little being nervous, to planning to how crappy Lucille was, to how I _had_ to beat her in the bracket, to complementing our chances to win the contest, to our dinner after the contests."

Lucas stayed silent through her rapid, excited explanations, looking blankly in the corner of his field of vision as he spent every brain cell he had on comprehending what she was saying. "Dawn, I have a hundred questions and million things to say, but first: how does a conversation take that many 180-degree turns?"

"Ugh, you're not letting me finish!" she jokingly protested. "Anyway, she starts gushing and stuff on how adorable that was and gave me a whole bunch of tips and directions."

"Tips and directions about what? Your nerves? About the contest? About dinner?" Lucas asked, clearly not able to follow along in her excitement.

"No, you doof! Tips on dinner, of course! She _owns_ that restaurant Alyssa recommended, and this is her hometown, too. So she gave me directions on how to get there quickly from the contest center, and she also said that there was an exit from this part of the contest center so we could leave without going through all of the crowding and press in the front."

"Well, that's funny."

"What's funny."

"I could have sworn I saw her leave the other walking the other way back through the atrium and entrance hall."

"Well she said she'd leave that way," Dawn said, pulling him through a couple more corridors and hallways, "because she had a car. And a chauffeur. So there's no other place in the venue that she could leave through, but we're leaving on foot, so this exit works just fine for us," she smiled. "The important thing is, she said she'd have a table reserved for us. I… kind of forgot to do that."

"Then it was _incredibly_ convenient that you ran into her, isn't it?" Lucas chuckled as they reached a door marked "EXIT" with a panic door handle.

"It was. I don't know what I would've done if it turned out that we couldn't even get ourselves a _table_ at the restaurant. I mean, it _is_ a Friday night… but that's not all," she said with some more excitement as Lucas opened the door, letting the frigid air from outside flow in as he and Dawn shuddered from the cold. "I mean, this _is_ Sarah's first contest, but she's already, well, famous, and she personally knows some of the best coordinators in Sinnoh."

"Well, yeah. Even I would've guessed that much. What're you getting at?"

"So this person, somebody that literally _every_ girl on Earth must look up to at some point in their lives, tells me after our contest that I can expect brand sponsors to line up by the if I do well on the next contest."

"Really?" Lucas asked with a pleasant smile. "I mean, that's great to hear and all, and you certainly deserve all the rewards for pulling off the wins you got today, but I thought you'd have to be a finalist or winner at the Grand Festival or something."

"That's _exactly_ what I said, but then she said that some of her friends, one of whom is the Top Coordinator herself, told her that these contractors want to get good coordinators on contracts early before their value shoots up over time. So now I have an _extra_ reason to do well on the next battle," she smiled.

"Well, I'm gonna do my best to be as good a battler as you are a coordinator, then," Lucas smiled, "Although, gym battles _do_ happen behind closed doors, so it's the Sinnoh League Tournament circuits where I'm going to have to pick up some real money. I've actually planned out—"

"Oh no," Dawn suddenly stopped halfway through when she saw an unsettling sight as they rounded the corner end of the pathway that led from the brightly lit up Contest Center to a dimly lit road and sidewalk which led back into the heart of Floaroma. "I don't think we should take this way out," she silently whispered.

"Don't worry about it. You beat her on stage, and if they decide to pull something stupid I'll beat 'em here," Lucas assured as he took note of the irritating 'bitch-entourage' as he and Barry had dubbed them of Lucille, Valerie, a company of equally vexing women, and even a few boys this time.

"Wait, Lucas, please don't—"

"Don't worry about it. I'm not gonna fight." Dawn didn't seem convinced. "Well, I'm not going to _provoke_ a fight, but I'm also not going to let them have the last word, here," he said with a straightforward, serious tone. "I'm sure if we both just ignore each other, we'll be fine, okay?" he said with a short smile.

"Alright," she reluctantly agreed.

Lucas simply slid his arm around her, pulled her close, and kept his focus on the pathway in front of them, doing his best to direct his attention away from the aggressively irritating presence of the bickering group they were nearing. _"Dawn hates fights. I gotta make sure I get into one,"_ he thought to himself as he pulled Dawn a little more tightly by the shoulder.

Lucas was certain they weren't in earshot of them yet, but he and Dawn could hear still hear the intentionally obnoxious and loud chatter. "You should have won, Lucille," one of the girls loudly said.

"Oh yeah, but we can't control luck, unfortunately. I guess _some_ people _somehow_ have fire types that can beat water types?" yet another chimed.

"No way! You'd have to be _cheating_ or something to do that!" Valerie cackled hideously.

"Don't react to them, okay?" he lightly whispered to Dawn.

"Me? Lucas, I can feel your arm tensing up on my back," Dawn said, her eyebrows raised and eyes insisting.

"You know, you never told me what their history with you is."

"And I don't think I can tell you right now, either."

"Oh, look what the Meowth dragged in," Valerie announced almost as soon as she and Lucas were within a reasonable distance. " _Congratulations_ , Dawn!" she said as her tone dripped with sarcasm. "What'd you do to win _this_ one?"

"Better question, have you come to terms with the fact that this is your last win, yet?" one of the boys taunted.

Lucas was reaching a boiling point, the knuckles in his left hand cracking as his grip tightened into a crushing fist. Still, he didn't look in their direction.

"Oh, Lucas, I know you didn't take my advice last time, but I'll still give you a tip. If you're gonna hold her close to you like that her stupidity might rub off onto you," Valerie hissed again.

Lucas' steps faltered for a moment, and he considered it for the slightest of moments, but ultimately decided against it as he kept moving forward, trying to move as far from them as possible.

"Oh, so _you're_ Lucas?" one of the boys called out again. "You know you should treat women with more respect. Apparently, you _really_ hurt poor Val's feelings. Some nerve you got there."

"You know I'd imagined him… a bit more intimidating," the first boy mocked, "Simple suit, simple coat, simple watch, simple shoes: hey listen, man. If you ever need better outfit I gotta a lot of nice clothes I'm willing to give away at a price your broke ass can afford."

"Hey Zachary, why'd you say he disrespected women, huh? He's clearly holding onto _her_ for dear life, isn't he?"

"That's because Dawn's not a woman," Valerie sniggered back.

Lucas froze, his arm that wasn't holding on to Dawn shuddering and shaking feverishly as he hoped he the strength in him to hold back his rage. He didn't. "No, Lucas. You shouldn't—" Dawn tried to persuade before Lucas shrugged her off, marching toward the group as he cracked his knuckles.

"Oh _no_ , I think we've ticked him off," one of them laughed. "What will the eight of us do against _one_ cowardly, puny man?"

Lucas reached into his pockets, pulling out three Pokeballs as everyone else suddenly shut up. "I can do a lot by myself, but I'm _dying_ to find out what these four Pokemon can do when there are no rules to hold me back." There was a sudden silence. "Come on there are like four dudes here. You've got to have a pair of balls between you lot, right?" he cursed as he released his Charmeleon, Staravia, and Prinplup onto the ground in front of him, unleashing their flames and ruffling their feathers as they prepared for the heat of battle. "How about you, _Val_ ," he mocked, "Would you like me to dispatch you like I did your sister?"

"That was—" she began before Lucas cut her off.

"That was me. It seems that you and your sister suffer from the same problem, the shit in your bowels seems to go to your brain and out of your mouth."

"I'll handle him," one of the boys cockily said, the one that Lucas was eager to tear into.

"Lucas, don't. Please," Dawn said worriedly, although she and Lucas knew that it wasn't Lucas she was worried about. "You promised."

"Listen to her, bruv. Pull back from this and maybe you two can go home and cuddle with each other," he mocked as he pulled out his own Pokeballs: only he had one more than Lucas did. He threw out a glowing, brightly colored Braixen, Drizzle, Pidgeotto, and Machoke. "Like my team?" he smirked.

 _"_ _An all shiny team. Why am I not surprised,"_ Lucas plainly thought to himself. "I love their colors, but I'm curious to see how you'd look like in black and blue," Lucas gruffly spat. "Galahad, open up with Wing Attack on that Machoke! Prometheus, provide him ground fire and push that Pidgeotto as far back as you can with Ember. Caesar, keep that Braixen and Machoke back with Bubble Beam!" he ordered.

"Everyone, focus fire on…" the boy faltered, "that Staravia," he finally said as Lucas smiled, knowing how weak his opponent really was.

 _"_ _Just what I needed. This guy definitely bought his Pokemon with his dad's cash. He's not even giving them real orders,"_ he humorously thought to himself. "Might as well treat myself to a weak opponent, right?" Lucas laughed as his Pokemon went to work. Galahad veered from a straight path down into a diving curve onto the Machoke below, coming in at a steep angle above the muscular Pokemon's head as the Staravia's wings glowed in an intimidating, powerful aura of white while it initiated its attack. Prometheus was more than happy to fire Ember like an auto-loading cannon at the pursuing Pidgeotto that was trying to knock Galahad out of his path with Gust attacks it periodically but inaccurately fired off.

"Would you look at that?" Lucas smirked, "Your Pokemon know better battle strategy than you do."

"Don't worry about what he said, Zach," one of the girls reassured, "Dad said these Pokemon were some of the best he could buy. They won't lose in a battle with a cheap nobody like _him._ "

Meanwhile, Caesar seemed to be doing his best, fighting off two Pokemon that somehow seemed more than capable and competent in battle despite the fact that the trainer had given no real commands. The Machoke was moving in to take out Prometheus as his trainer had, and the Braixen and Drizzle was doing their best to force Prometheus to maneuver and avoid shots of Bubble and Ember to throw its aim off of the Pidgeotto while preventing him from moving in an easy, straight escape path from the charging Machoke that had its arms pulsing with raging, ferocious purple energy as Lucas' eyes flew wide with sudden shock.

 _"_ _That's Dual Chop!"_ Lucas thought with absolute surprise. _"This fucker has extremely experienced Pokemon, no wonder why they're able to hold up a fight despite his dumb ass."_ "Galahad, you need to get that Machoke as fast as you can! Prometheus, I know it's hard, but you don't need to dodge shots: just keep up that barrage on that Pidgeotto. And Caesar, switch targets to that Machoke."

The tide of battle began to ebb and flow much more viciously after Lucas' firm command. Instead of multiple loops and targets of attacks flying from Lucas' side, the Machoke was suddenly struck by a crippling strike from Galahad as the Staravia delivered a swift blow from both of its charged wings at blazing speed from its diving run as it escaped Gust attacks from the tailing Pidgeotto and streaks of Bubble and Ember attacks from Zach's Braixen and Drizzle as he flew overhead. "Perfect," Lucas smiled.

"Argh! _Do_ something. Machoke, weather the hits. Sink your fists through that Charmeleon! Or Lucas! I don't care!" Zach raged, although it wasn't very effective. Caesar kept a steady stream of Bubblebeam attacks that slowed down the Machoke even further in its charge, although its arms still raged purple with dragon energy.

"Galahad, use Wing Attack to kick up the snow and set a screen for Prometheus," Lucas quickly ordered, noticing that despite what Zach's intentions were, his Drizzle and Machoke were proving to be a serious threat to Prometheus. Galahad retreated almost instinctively to Lucas, flying only inches above the intact, plain white ground as he kicked up a screen of freshly powdered white snow behind him, creating a beautiful snow-screen that blanketed behind his entire path as it clouded up the position of Caesar and Prometheus on the ground.

"Woah," Dawn said with her mouth open as Lucas began to become comfortable with his positions in battle while the white curtain ascended behind Galahad's swift flight path in front of Prometheus and Caesar's battle line. She could swear she even saw some of the girls beside Valerie gape in awe before Valerie took notice and forced them to shut up.

"No! That's… cheating or something!" Zach whined from the other side of the screen while Lucas smiled to himself as he quickly analyzed the situation in front of him. "Fight me where I can see you fuckin' pleb!" he roared.

Lucas made a quick note of the fact that the charging Machoke's Dual Chop attack suddenly worked against it. While the other three opposing Pokemon, save for the Pidgeotto in the air as it occasionally popped above the screen, the Machoke's bright, purple arms saturated with dragon energy were clearly visible through the screen, giving him an uncontested shot to take out a Pokemon and eliminate one of Zach's advantages. "Alright, all of you, use your strongest attacks on that Machoke. Empty everything you've got as fast as you can!" he called out. Almost instantly, all three of his Pokemon took a triangular stance: Caesar and Prometheus moved to the side as Galahad flew with Wing Attack down the dead center into the direction of the Machoke, which was now charging blindly into the area where Prometheus used to be.

But the snow was heavy, and the screen didn't last more than a few seconds longer, but that was all Lucas wanted as Zach's visibility returned to him just in time to see the Machoke hit with two consecutive attacks of Ember and Bubble Beam that pounded his momentum to a complete stop before he was knocked back into the cold snow by a meaty _WHACK_ from Galahad's unhindered and bullet-like Wing Attack finding its mark. Zach clenched his fists, realizing the futility of the situation but he refused to be any less stupid. "You, Drizzle," he ordered, "Get up to that Charmeleon and vomit all the water you have in you on him. Or I'm sending you returning you back to Team Plasma."

The confused but frightened Drizzle quickly bolted forward at full speed across the snow Prometheus as Zach recalled the fallen Machoke from the cloud of snow it created on impact.

 _"_ _This Zach dude is shit, but these Pokemon seem to be able to understand react to attacks to some extent,"_ Lucas realized, _"Fine, I'll finish this on my terms, then."_ "Caesar, wash that Braixen out with Bubble beam. Galahad, peg that Drizzle with Wing Attack and boost your dive speed with Quick Attack," confidently said. He never said anything to Prometheus, but a quick hand signal and a gesture to the Pidgeotto was enough for the Charmeleon to coalesce a gaseous form of the dragon energy that was pumping in the Machoke's arms which he fired off into the direction of the Pidgeotto, who discovered the incoming attack far too late. It was able to begin an evasive dive, but Prometheus had given the shot enough predictive lead to perfectly peg the bird in the middle of its dive as it smashed into the ground, fluttering as it rolled within feet of Prometheus.

Caesar only needed two hits for his super-effective attacks to level the poor Braixen into the snow, leaving a wet, colorful mass of fur in front of a shocked Zach who was only startled out of his catatonic state as he saw his Pidgeotto get flamed out of existence as Prometheus let his killer instincts take over as it ran over to the fallen Pidgeotto, cutting its fluttering before it escaped into the sky again with a Fire Fang attack at its throat, sending it limp and leaving all three Pokemon to bear down unopposed onto the Drizzle.

"Oh no," Zach weakly said.

"Oh no indeed," Lucas smiled with glowing, raging eyes. "Open fire," he plainly said as all three of his Pokemon lined up at the desperate fighting Drizzle which was trying its best to fire Bubble Beams onto Caesar and Galahad who didn't take heavy damage from the attacks as they went in front of Prometheus who simply lobbed crippling Dragon Breath Attacks that forced the Drizzle to dodge and weave only to extend the approach of the inevitable.

It happened almost instantly. Galahad slammed his wings with blistering force into the Drizzle's chest. Caesar went into close quarters and sent a piercing Peck attack with its beak right into the stunned Drizzle's neck before Prometheus very happily obliged to finish the job by lobbing a Dragon Breath attack across the field that melted whatever little health the Drizzle had left as it fell to the ground in a cloud of dragon energy from the attack and rainbow-colored snow particles that refracted the light from the energy.

Zach's left hand began to shake as he recalled all of his Pokemon, but Lucas seemed still on-edge, still ready to fire as Dawn's eyes widened. "Stupid, stupid Pokemon! You're better off as fuel in my fireplace!" he angrily cried.

"Oh no," Dawn said under her breath, knowing the coming effects of what he had just said.

"Fuel in your fireplace?" Lucas quietly repeated at first. " _Fuel_ in your fireplace? Did you just fucking say—you ingrate _cunt_ motherfucker. I'm sure each of those Pokemon had a higher IQ than you. There are good trainers who help their Pokemon who help their use their abilities effectively in battle," he angrily began as he marched towards Zach, throwing his suit's coat on the ground and rolling up his shirt's sleeves. "There are bad trainers who don't help their Pokemon as much, but I don't know where meaningless deadweight morons like you who actively _hinder_ the intelligence and strength of his elite Pokemon belong. Not on _this_ planet for sure." At this point he began marching toward Zach with aggressive, firm steps while his own Pokemon quickly turned to Zach to join their trainer in the attack, although Lucas quickly held up his hand to halt them. He wanted to deal with this himself.

He recalled them quickly and put the Pokeballs back in his pockets before he broke into a full, barreling sprint toward Zach who took off his own suit's coat and took a fighting stance. One of the other boys in the crowd realized where this was heading and he moved forward to help Zach but she was halted almost instantly as Lucille held out her hand to stop him. "Zach has to handle this. He either stands up for me or he doesn't stand at all," she hissed with an unwarranted air of superiority.

Zach and Lucas met with a heavy collision as Lucas let his instincts take over. Zach was slightly shorter, but he was certainly better built and heavier, and Lucas built more speed in his charge to counter Zach's momentum in the collision. Lucas did his best to disperse Zach's force by colliding with his forearms extended to take the brunt of the force. Zach happened to take the hit in stride, simply throwing a powerful arm at Lucas as soon as he was in range.

Lucas turned out of the way of what would have been a heavy strike, sending his extended left leg into Zach's knee, who was fortunate not to have that knee bend the wrong way as he fell backward before quickly scrambling back up only to be met with Lucas' speeding fist squarely in the chin as the painfully forced clenching of teeth rang out in the cold air.

"You're all animals," Lucas said through grit to teeth to a dazed Zach but loudly enough for everyone else to hear. "You don't understand the value of what you have, and I don't just mean wealth but parents who are willing to give it to you probably knowing full well that you are the least driven, least capable fucking idiots on this planet," he spat. He began throwing slowly throwing punch after punch into Zach who at this point was simply throwing uncoordinated flails back in an attempt to stay standing and combat effective.

Lucas didn't seem to care as his onslaught continued, refusing to finish Zach but instead punching his arms, kicking his shins, and ramming his elbows into Zach's abdomen as Dawn watched in absolute terror. _"He's losing it. I… I have to stop him or he'll do something he doesn't mean to do,"_ she thought to herself fearfully. _"But he promised he wouldn't. Maybe… maybe he'll stop."_

"You want to use those Pokemon for firewood?!" Lucas roared. "You're all brutish animals," he coldly repeated, "but I know one thing: the only way to get a message through your thick heads is to set you on the receiving end of an even more brutish, even more animalistic rage. You need to _know_. You need to _fear_ ," he growled as he threw one last punch at Zach's face before halting, turning to see the mortified reactions of everyone in Valerie's entourage. He then planted a foot, winded up, and sent a kick with a rapid spin of his torso into the side of Zach's head, throwing it to the side as slumped to the floor cold, breathing, but weakly.

Lucas turned from Zach's unconscious body on the floor to the absolutely terrified faces of Valerie and the other girls. "Give him like five minutes, he'll be back up. Trust me, I've done this before," he matter-of-factly said as he turned to leave. "Oh," he started again as he turned around to face them, "I have a _very_ strict no-hitting-girls policy, which is great news for you because I'd have fucking decked your prissy asses into your next lives. The fact that you're not unconscious on the floor next to that dickhead is because _I'm_ letting you walk today. You be wise to remember that," he menacingly growled before walking back toward Dawn who was simply staring at him, half relieved that he didn't go to the extent that he promised he wouldn't when she first saw what he was capable of in his rage.

"OI! My father will hear about this!" a boy angrily shouted back at Lucas as he was leaving. "You and that _bitch_ next to you won't get to smile! You won't get breathe without permission once he decides to step in! I'll have you fuckers arrested for this crap!

Lucas went from a full stride to a complete halt in an instant halt, storming like a runaway freight train to the now paralyzed boy. He gripped the boy's collar like he'd seen Talonflames grip Pikachus on nature documentaries, shaking him violently once before glaring directly into his panicking mind while he subconsciously used his free hand to bat off Valerie and Lucille's attempts to pull him away. "Your father will hear about this? I'm sure he will. Quit sucking your dad's dick to get shit you want done. Either man up or stick your head in the—"

" _Lucas!_ " Dawn interjected, pulling him back more firmly this time. He instantly relaxed his grip on the boy's collar, stepping back but not removing his piercing, raging gaze from him. "That's enough!" He broke free from her as he took a step in the boy's direction. " _No!_ " she seriously protested this time, a mixed look of worry and fear in her eyes, stopping him dead in his tracks.

He swiftly dusted his shirt, straightened his tie, put on his coat, and adjusted his watch as Dawn continued to tug at him. "Don't you ever pull shit like this again," he warned them as he turned back with Dawn who still turned her face away from the entire altercation.

Dawn held his wrist, pulling him behind here although after a few moments he began to set the pace. Neither of them said anything, and Lucas began to realize exactly what he'd done. "Dawn, if you're worried about him, he'll be—"

"Fine?" she filled in. "You almost killed him."

"I definitely didn't. I just knocked him out. Look, I kept my promise: no grotesque damage, no killing. No problem."

"No, no, Lucas. You don't understand. You… weren't yourself. I was sacred for you. Again."

"Why?"

"Wouldn't you be if somebody said they were going to fight brutishness with even worse brutishness? Wouldn't you be if they _attacked_ their opponent even after a battle was over? People like that… people like that are the kind of people that end up blindly killing good people for some stupid cause'."

"What?" Lucas half-laughed, trying to reassure her, "You can't equate me with those people with me! I did _all_ of what I did in self-defense, and every hit I made was something they could recover from."

"Lucas, be honest with me," she said as she paused, holding his hand, "The way you were attacking, there were… moments where there was a glint in your eye, moments where I could tell you were letting everything lose just before you held yourself back. Were you in total _control_?" Lucas was silent. "There was a possibility that you could have lost yourself there." He still didn't say a word. " _That_ , Lucas, _that_ scared me. I can't… see you like that because I know you're smarter than that. So why _did_ you do that?" she softly finished.

"Dawn, I know you don't exactly agree with what I did, and I understand why, but I want to ask you something about why _you_ did what you did, too. Or… rather why you didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"They insulted you, Dawn. _I_ can take insults because _I_ wasn't the one doing the hard work up on that stage. I know that I haven't much name or honor to uphold. Yet, at least. But you… you have something. And when they accuse you like that of being a cheater, I want to know why you don't fight back. You wanted to fight back against Team Galactic, and I wanted to hold back then. Why the switch?"

" _They_ are a criminal organization, Lucas. They ruin people's lives and leave a burning path behind them everywhere they go. The _kill_ people. As bad as Valerie is, as toxic as she is, she's not capable of the carnage that they are. I can't see myself going out against her, but after all that happened between us, maybe I've given up. But I have another question, Lucas: _I_ was ready to ignore insults hurled at me, but _you're_ the one that took offense. Why?"

"I know you're expecting a reason," he said, squeezing her hand, "All I can tell you is that seeing them say that about someone like you and escaping without consequences… it angered me. I don't know why it angered me as much as it did. But it did. Maybe because it wasn't _what_ they were saying as much as _who_ they were saying it about."

Dawn fell silent, her cheeks taking a light, rosy tint in the cold though what she contradicted what her flush face said, "That… doesn't make what you did okay," she said half-heartedly. "But I understand. I guess, in the same spot, I may have done the same for you," she softly acquiesced.

"I promise I'll try not to, uh, let it happen again," Lucas smiled back as they continued walking, "But you know, this _whole_ thing may have been avoided if you'd just fill me in on that backstory between you and them. I mean, based on what I've seen so far, they're a bunch of, uh," he carefully thought as he avoided using a swear word in fear of angering Dawn, "Brats. Yeah, they're a bunch of brats who've got their pathetic attitudes shielded by a wall of money. But see, if they were just regular brats then I'd be glad to avoid them, but you and even _they_ have made it clear that they're going after you in particular, which means I'm _will_ have an irresistible temptation to make myself the first problem in their lives that money can't stop."

"You could have just asked regularly," she laughed, "What's with the prelude?"

"I've tried to ask regularly, but you keep dodging the question!" he protested as she locked arms with him and comfortably pulled herself closer into him.

"And for a good reason, it's not a small story, and I'm not sure how much or how well I can really explain it now…" she hesitated, knowing she was kicking the can further yet down the road, "but I promise I'll tell you later."

"Alright," Lucas gently said, "Now, we need to get to that restaurant. I believe I was also promised a dinner with someone."

"Hm, I think you were," Dawn said with a slightly more relaxed tone. "Let's get going, then," she smiled as she began to lead them around the corner into the heart of Floaroma's beautiful dull green grass as the town's warm, yellow and red lights began to open up an inviting, gentle winter night.

 **And that's it for this chapter, folks! The good news? I have another chapter ready to go! So, tomorrow afternoon, I'll be uploading another chapter that finishes the string of filler chapters I've been dishing out (and people thought the games were slow). I've got to say thanks to all of you who keep sticking with this story, even though there have been some spikes in time between posts and dips in quality, but your reviews are what make writing this worthwhile and something I want to put my effort into. Thanks for all the support, and cheers!**


	21. Chapter 21: A Dinner Date

**I promised a second chapter this week: lo and behold, a second chapter this week has appeared!**

Chapter 21: A Dinner Date

It wasn't a long walk from the contest center to the restaurant. The climate, the cold and frosty near the contest center had warmed up by the time they reached the center of town, perhaps because the air their circulated better and the warmth of the gaslights and furnaces lining the streets made it more hospitable to the passerby, perhaps it was the magic of the Shaymin. Regardless, Dawn and Lucas enjoyed the warm relief in each other's company, happily strolling through the center of town past the luxurious stores, malls, houses, parked cars, brick-paved pathways and roads, and meandering sidewalks with luscious shrubbery and herbaceous growth that the glowing shades of soft red, orange, and yellow from the street lamps.

"Well, they say that networking is the second biggest part to nailing a job," Lucas told Dawn as they were discussing her conversations with the acting celebrity Sarah, who for reasons unbeknownst to Dawn, Lucas wouldn't shut up about.

"Really?" she asked, a bit surprised.

"Yeah, of course. You've seriously never heard that?"

"Um, no. I mean, I might have… I wasn't exactly the _most_ invested girl in all that stuff, you know."

"Well, you've started to build yours, clearly," he smiled, "And it's not like this is a nobody: this is Sarah _fucking_ Scharnhorst who thinks you're the shit!" he almost yelled from excitement about Dawn's burgeoning career and successes.

"Lucas! Shhh!" Dawn playfully chided, "Someone might hear you!"

"Oops," he guiltily said. "Sorry."

"It's alright," she giggled, "But I like the way you think, Lucas. It's… different. When I'm down, it gives me some hope, and when I'm jumpy and way out of my mind, it grounds me."

"I… can't recall one instance where I did any of those things, Dawn, dead honest," Lucas plainly admitted.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that I felt it," she smiled, playfully pushing against him.

A few minutes later, they'd arrived at the epicenter of Floaroma, only a half a mile away from the Pokemon center toward the river and Valley Windworks. "Le Feu, huh?" Lucas said, reading the title of the restaurant. The restaurant was on the corner of the larger, beige-colored Kalosian and Galarian style block of buildings, although it seemed to stand out from the rest of the building with an emphasis on geometric rectangularity and perfect design. The door was placed in a concentric set of rectangles, each with a strip of LED lights along the border that pulsated in a smooth, milky white that gave the entrance a voice that beckoned onlookers to come closer to its portal, to its gateway.

Lucas tugged on the door, and his mind began running as it was. He'd never expected it, and perhaps that was what made such a small detail stand out so magnificently. The door didn't simply pull open, its edges touched the frames of the building, even by the hinges where he thought there had to be a gap to accommodate the swiveling edge, but he had to take a moment to marvel at the design of even the jet black entrance door. Because it was completely touching the building on all four edges, only the handle reflected any light while the rest of the door seemed to vanish into a black background until a tug on the handle produced a gentle, tactile, satisfying _click_ that unleashed a flurry of colors and aromas from inside.

"Mm, that smells _wonderful_ , " Dawn delightfully said as Lucas simply smiled at her simply, genuine joy.

They soon walked through another set of doors to the lobby of the restaurant where guests were received by an attendant who recognized them almost immediately. "Ms. Avery and Mr. Drake, I presume?" she asked.

"Um, yes," Dawn said, a bit confused as to how she knew their names.

"Wonderful, welcome!" the waiter warmly greeted, "Ms. Scharnhorst told us you'd be here about now, so we've a table already reserved for you two," she smiled. "Pierre will guide you to your seats," she said as a man came from the interior of the restaurant, dressed finely with a note of professional service about his every facet. From his perfectly trimmed mustache, stiff and firm posture, to his every deliberate movement.

"This way, please," the waiter said, gesturing inside the restaurant to Lucas and Dawn.

Pierre guided the two to a small, candlelit table for two in the rear medial region of the restaurant. The tableware was precisely set, multiple sets of silverware for each course set for chronological use, each successive set closer to the plate than the first, with three goblets and glasses, all surrounding a gold-embroidered plating set in the center. "Fancy, isn't it?" Dawn quietly said in his ear, giving his arm a quick squeeze. "I can't remember the last time I was in a place like this one."

"Me neither," he said back as they took their seats on the opposite sides, the waiter firing up the candles and providing the two single-card menus with the courses and options for the night as he unbuttoned his suit's coat. "I remember vaguely from perhaps when I was maybe thirteen or fourteen. My father brought me here, actually, when he left work."

"Well, that sounds interesting."

"I'll leave you two to take selections from the menu, but if you would have any pop or particular wines in mind I can arrange for you to have them while you make your order," the waiter cordially offered.

"I think we'll defer to the sommelier when we order our courses," Lucas proposed, "Although I'll have a vanilla root beer pop myself, for now," he smiled, leaning the edge of the menu against the edge of the table as he looked insistently at Dawn who suddenly realized she had to speak.

"Oh, uh…" she paused glancing rapidly at drinks in the menu only to find numerous wines and assorted alcoholic beverages she'd never been acquainted with before quickly giving up. "I'll do the same, water will do for now," she smiled.

"Very well, then," the waiter said with a bit of pomp, "We have for you here a menu to serve your every election as part of a ten-course meal, however, I'd recommend opting for a nine or eight-course meal for couples."

"Wonderful, anything special today?" Lucas asked, realizing that Dawn seemed a less clued up than he was.

"Of course! We have a rich, creamy coconut lentil soup with a touch of curry and cayenne for a unique fusion of various tastes," he said as Lucas carefully followed along, nodding as he processed what he'd heard carefully while Dawn simply smiled and nodded blankly, assuming Lucas knew what he was doing.

"How, uh, spicy is it?" Dawn asked, a bit concerned.

"The dish is centered on the rich texture and the fluid creaminess, so the spice is really for notes and variation, so I wouldn't say it's something too spicy," he replied, "For the appetizers we have a nice, delectable sweet and sour vegetable Manchurian in a soy and unique Guntur Sannam chili pepper reduction served with an excellent duck sauce, for a spicy, sweet, and savory blend of eastern cuisine," he continued.

"They both sound incredible," Lucas noted with a slight nod.

"Oh, but you _must_ try our exquisite desserts! We have caramel stuffed three-chocolate brownies à la mode and our signature dessert, the Snow Globe."

"The Snow Globe?" Dawn asked, curious.

"Yes, a perfectly ripe, polished, Granny Smith apple dipped in a firm yet fluid layer of a caramel-chocolate sauce plated perfectly in a layer of decadent white chocolate served with a dry coconut shaving topping. It's a perfect dessert to share, I must say," the waiter added.

"Thank you, they all sound splendid," Lucas said with a polite smile, "I suppose we'll need a few minutes to order the rest of the courses before we order."

"Of course, take all the time you need," the waiter said with a slight bow, "I'll be returning with your drinks and request the sommelier for you." The waiter left the two to their own as Dawn and Lucas perused through the exquisite yet simple menu. It was but one card with a few dishes for each course of a meal with an extra special dish that the waiter mentioned, but each category contained a perfect variety of dishes that seemed too hard to choose between. It made you understand that the professionalism and passion put into preparing such food was beyond surreal and that you'd be lucky to taste such perfection again before the food had even arrived.

"You were saying something…" Dawn trailed as she looked through her menu, trying to remind Lucas of where their conversation had left off.

"I was?"

"Yeah, about you and your father coming to a place like this once," she reminded.

"Oh, right. Well, school was out early one day because of a blizzard. Now, I was dressed formally that day—"

"How come?" Dawn interrupted, too curious to wait.

"I think we had a show; I can't remember much other than that we were supposed to argue about Sinnohan Independence from Galar, and mum said I should dress formally so I did."

"Well that must've been a sight to watch, huh?" she smirked.

"Dawn, your average teen isn't exactly an eloquent orator. That being said, I'll have you know I wasn't an ordinary thirteen-year-old," he smirked right back. "Anyway, I happened to be in formal attire, and Dad wore a suit to work anyway. So he comes to pick me up, and I dive into his car because it was so cold outside and throw my backpack in the seat beside me. He starts talking about how the weather was so crappy and he was famished and asked if I wanted to make a quick stop before we go home."

"What'd you say?"

"I said yes, duh. But I was thinking like a burger and fries. It wasn't until we pulled up in front of this _fancy_ restaurant that I realized something was up. I thought the place was a museum from outside because of all the décor and stuff. So I'm like, 'Dad, why are we at a museum?' And he just laughs and tells me to tuck in my shirt."

Dawn covered her smile with her hand while her eyes shone brightly at Lucas, revealing her expression plainly to him. "Anyway…" Lucas trailed, a bit embarrassed before reassuring himself that at least the twelve-year-old version of himself wasn't sitting next to him, "He takes me inside, books a table for two and we sit beside this beautiful tropical fish aquarium with all kinds of Lumineon and Octillery and even a couple of Sharpedoes inside, and I'm just happy to be out of the cold and into some heat again, until I notice that the table looked like… well, this," he gestured in front of him to the complex dining ware arrangements in front of him.

"And I'm guessing you were _super_ confused?"

"Dawn, I'd never seen more than one plate at the table before guests arrived, and here there were a bunch of goblets, forks, knives, plates, bowls, and everything super neatly laid before me. I thought it was puzzle or something, and Dad sees me all nervous and is like, 'Calm down, calm down, you bite the food, not the other way around,' before the waiter comes over to our table and hands us menus, asks for drinks, explains the specials, you know. I feel like a fish out of water this whole time, and Dad asks for a moment to order the food and for the sommelier. I had no idea what was going on and sorta just sat there waiting for something to happen, and _then_ Dad explains what was going on to me."

"What'd he say?" Dawn asked as she and Lucas kept looking through the menu.

"He said that he just wanted a break from normal food for a while, and thought this was a good day to just spend some time with me since I was dressed enough to go to a restaurant like that as it was. He said that if that did as he told me to, he and I could have the best meal I'd ever taste in my lifetime. Now I was hungry as hell, but I _really_ wanted to be super posh and try to fit in with all these super-high-class adults in suits around me more, so I'm agreed in a heartbeat. And then he explains how to fold the napkin, what each part of a ten-course meal was, what dishes to look for in a menu, which drinks go in which cup, which cutlery to use for which course, and _all_ that stuff step-by-step."

" _That_ must've been a revelation."

"It was. He even asked me questions on random etiquette points, and I was just sitting there thinking why I left school early when I was going to be quizzed anyway, but somehow, in five minutes, he explained the _whole_ procedure and rules to me and I made the order for us when the waiter and sommelier came back a while later? And dad had the proudest look on his face when they were all puzzled to see me ordering instead of him."

"Wait, you ordered wine?"

"Well, no. Dad talked to the sommelier, but I did the rest. And the food was _spectacular_ ," Lucas said as he noted a dish he wanted to order on the menu, "Dad was definitely right about that, but it wasn't even the best part."

"Of course it wasn't, it was getting that spending that time and growing up with your dad," Dawn filled in.

"What? No. I mean that was better than the food, but the best part happened when we got home. I realized he planned this whole thing on the fly just to teach me how to eat in a formal dining setting because when we got home, mum had made us some lunch, and was kinda suspicious when we both said we weren't feeling that hungry."

"Oh no," Dawn said with wide eyes, looking up from her menu shortly as she realized where this was going.

"Yeah, so Dad and I sorta had to each help each other very humbly play off the fact that we both totally ate awesome food without a second thought when she wasn't there. And this was knowing that my mum really liked to eat outside… so she didn't take it too well. She did that thing where she'd put her hands on her hips, shake her head, and then just give us this crippling look of disappointment before explaining away at how she couldn't believe how absent-minded we both were and that we both are always up to no good."

"I'd imagine my mom would do the same thing if Dad and I forgot about her," Dawn asserted, certainly empathizing with Johanna's point of view.

"Well, my dad tried to play the whole thing off as 'just some quality father-son' time and that it wasn't such a big deal, but here's the real thing: we'd already won and I think mom knew it. I got a surprise field-trip with my dad to paradise and we were both on full stomachs, so we were just super sleepy and tired and sorta just listened to her and backed each other up in case one of us accidentally said something that made her mad again, and she eventually backed down when Dad just went and just hugged her mid-sentence, gave her kiss on her cheek, and just said, 'You're right, Johanna, but it's not about _me_ , look at _Lucas_. He's a little more grown-up than before he went to school today, and look at how happy he is." And I tried to give the brightest grin I could to mom so she'd drop the whole thing and agree with him, and she turns to my dad and just said 'Fine,' and it was just kinda… over."

"Nope, it wasn't over," Dawn chuckled.

"Uh, what do you mean?" Lucas asked, absolutely puzzled as to how Dawn knew better than him on personal matters.

"When your mom said 'Fine', she really said 'You win for now because I don't want to talk about this and you temporarily stumped me, but I'm definitely bringing this up when we go to bed tonight," Dawn smiled, amused at Lucas' cluelessness on the subject.

"You got all that form the word 'Fine'?"

"Not just me, Lucas, I'm sure that your dad did, too," she laughed.

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm better than you at understanding what people _really_ mean, like what they mean on the inside."

"Dawn, I'll have you know I have a tendency to find out _exactly_ what people mean. You do not want me cross-examining you," he half-sternly corrected.

"No, no, I know you're good at that. You got into Mauville on a full-ride for a law major for crying out loud, but…" she paused for a moment to explain her answer, "When you argue and understand facts and ethics, it's different from when you argue and understand emotions and feelings, Lucas. They're two completely different processes."

"Are you saying I can't understand people's feelings?" he laughed. "Of course I can. I'm not a psychopath or something," he playfully scoffed.

"I'm not saying you're a psychopath, Lucas," she giggled back, "I'm just saying that when it comes to knowing what's in someone else's heart, you don't exactly… read between the lines," she explained with a suggestive smirk as she remembered the times that she tried to tell him how she felt about him and each attempt would fly like a plane over his head.

"Okay, maybe you're right," he nodded, her point ironically flying over his head yet again. " _But_ , putting that whole thing aside, we're going to have to make some orders before the waiter gets back."

"Well, I want to try the specials he mentioned. I thought they sounded pretty good."

"Yeah, me too. That covers the soup, appetizer, and dessert, but what do you want to get for the main course, a palate cleanser, and mignardise?" he said, counting the remaining courses off on his fingers.

"I have an idea of what I wanted for the main course, but I really didn't know what the palate cleanser and mignardise were supposed to be," Dawn confusedly said, looking at her menu and then Lucas for an explanation.

"So the palate cleanser is usually a small, bright drink or bite of food to reengage your appetite and taste for the sweeter foods and flavors at the end of the meal. I think an infused water drink is good enough, and mignardise is just a small dessert bite at the end to let the meal conclude sweetly and smoothly. Like a cherry on top but for an entire meal. For mignardise we should get…" he trailed as he looked through the menu again to see what he'd picked for that course, "the praline-caramel sauce chocolate truffles, hm?"

Dawn raised her hands up deference, "Mr. Drake clearly taught you everything, so I'll just you pick on this one, but I wanted to try the Filet Mignon au Poivre for the main course," she asked, "I've always been a fan of Kalosian cuisine," she said with large, pleading eyes that Lucas could never say no to just as the waiter approached with another man in a suit.

"Filet mignon sounds wonderful," Lucas agreed just as the two had arrived at their table.

"As requested, this is Monsieur Dupré, our sommelier," the waiter introduced as a tall man with disciplined posture gave a slight bow.

"Good evening to you two. I'll be glad to assist you with any selections, preferences, or explorations you may have in mind when it comes to our vast array of fine wine and drinks today," politely offered.

"Thank you," Lucas nodded before she turned to the waiter. "We'll have the coconut lentil soup for the first course, the Manchurian for the appetizer, then the Filet Mignon au Poivre, a sparkling citrus infusion before dessert, the Snow Globe for dessert, and then the praline-caramel sauce chocolate truffles to top it all off," he slowly recited as he coursed through the menu to make sure that there wasn't anything else that he or Dawn could want.

"Excellent choices, sir," the waiter nodded, "I'll be off to get your root beer and water, as requested, and you can expect the soup to arrive in about ten minutes time. In the meantime, I hope you find Monsieur Dupré's expertise and services excellent in selecting beverage pairings," he said as he put the order booklet into a pocket before heading off in the direction of the kitchen.

The sommelier had a short conversation with Lucas and Dawn, walking through a short but confident list of wine recommendations for the courses they'd chosen before they decided on a fine red wine to pair with their main course and an aged cream sherry to pair with their dessert selections before leaving the two to their conversations and thoughts. The waiter then brought their drinks and the soup minutes later, much to Lucas' delight as he was becoming ravenously hungry.

With the first dish in the bowls in front of them, Lucas folded his napkin and began to tuck in. It was perfect. The soup _was_ indeed creamy, the milky sweetness and perfect viscosity told him that it was heavy whipping cream that they'd mixed in with the coconut and spices. The lentils were boiled to perfection, a perfect mixture of firmness and the dissociation between the skin and the fleshy insides to yield a variety of perfect textures in the dish. "I can never have regular food again," Lucas said with a dreamy sigh. "This is the price of paradise."

"You can just say the food is good, you know," Dawn laughed.

"Wouldn't do it justice," he explained before he took a sip of his root beer just to get the delicious blend of vanilla and spices down his throat. "Then again, no food can ever match the taste of root beer," he said in a deep, entranced tone, holding the cup of root beer up. "I live for this stuff," he said, taking another sip with a smile, knowing that restaurants such as these usually brewed their own stock of root beer that they aged finely with care or ordered from vendors that did.

Dawn shot her eyebrows up before speaking. "Well, I'm not a big fan of root beer, Lucas," she blandly said before giving him a smirk.

"I can't tell if you're saying that to mess with me, or, Arceus forbid, you really mean that," he smiled back.

"I like…," she trailed, tapping her finger on her chin, "Orange juice. That's my favorite drink. It reminds me of when I'd come home from school and run to the fridge without even taking my backpack off and orange juice right out of the carton sometimes," she giggled, "But, I guess root beer's not my thing."

Lucas breathed a sigh of relief, "You're lucky orange juice is my second favorite drink, or else, I would have had to do some… convincing." He and Dawn then dove into their soup once again, finishing the dish in a few more minutes before the waiter picked up their dishes and brought in their next course, one that Lucas was looking forward to.

Lucas grabbed his cutlery and was about to once again begin working on his dish before he caught sight of Dawn in the corner of his eye. "Wait, wait, wait, wait," he quickly said, looking up from his food to see a frozen and startled Dawn.

"What?" she asked, absolutely puzzled as to why Lucas looked at her like she was playing catch with a live grenade.

"You're using the wrong fork," he said, pointing to her silverware.

"What do you mean? This one works fine."

"Wha—no," he chuckled, realizing that she didn't exactly get his point. "You see how the silverware's arranged, one set of forks and spoons layer inside a line behind the other?"

"Yeah?"

"You're supposed to start with the silverware on the inside and use the next one with each dish," he giggled.

"No need to laugh at me," she cutely said before she switched her silverware again before she finally went to work on the warm appetizer. "Mm!" Dawn exclaimed, her expression bright with dreamy pleasure as she bit a piece of her Manchurian. "I've never had these before. What are they made of?"

"Vegetables and, um, whatever else is in the stuffing," he said, half-puzzled as he inspected the insides of his piece. "But the tasty stuff here are the sauces. The spicy pepper-soy sauce and the duck sauce _amazing_. I mean, I will eat anything with sauces that tasted like that. And usually Manchurian are dry as hell, but these pieces are actually tender and nice to chew on. The chefs are _spot on_ , here," he remarked, "Kind of like you during that contest today," he cheekily sneaked in.

"I have a feeling you're going to better in your next gym battle, though. I hear it's a grass-type gym."

"Alright, I'll be a little painfully candid here," Lucas began.

"Uh-oh," Dawn said, picking up one corner of her lips in suspicion.

"I think I'll always be the better battler compared to you," he carefully said, trying not to sound cocky as Dawn shot him a look as if to say, 'Whatever you say next better make my heart flutter.' "But when it comes to having a _looking_ like a professional, displaying the strength of a real performer, you're far better than I can ever be. I mean, my instincts for battle are kind of already built-in, so I'll contort and play orthodoxically to get a cheeky shot off, and sometimes I'll go into frightfully aggressive firing stances to snatch the win, but… you look beautiful and graceful no matter _what_ happens in a battle. Your audience _always_ wants more of you."

"What are you trying to say?" she said with a coy smile, liking his honest amazement at her.

"It takes a lot of patience and practice to look that inspiring, that elegant and jaw-dropping, even in the heat of battle, whether you're shooting or getting shot at," he paused, noting that Dawn didn't like his lack of precision on the topic, "Okay, I'll get to the point. Barry and I love battling because, for our entire lives, conflict has been like a seductive mistress. So, I've… always had the suspicion that you've had some kind of training or practice with performing before this. I mean, you _could_ have the raw talent to do what you did tonight on that stage, but I don't think even raw talent could cover all the bases like you did."

Dawn's eyes flashed brightly for a moment before it faded from her expression. She took a moment as if she were remembering something before she spoke again. "No. I, uh, I've never… had any practice," she said with artificial steadiness, "But more importantly, I'll have to disagree that you're the better battler," she said with sudden cheerfulness as she guided the topic away.

"Sounds like something we should settle on a battlefield."

"I'm going to be the first person to defeat you, Lucas," she confidently said.

"We'll just have to see about that," he said with a raised eyebrow before the two went back to eating. They were silent for the next few minutes as they finished their appetizers before the waiter returned with a trolley that held their main course dishes and small olive tapenades for them to share on the side. He exchanged their empty appetizer plates for servings of the filet mignon before filling one of their wine goblets with red wine.

A few minutes of silence further passed, and Lucas shyly played with his filet mignon au Poivre with his fork while Dawn stared intently at him for a minute, noticing his idleness and passive movements as she took a small sip of her wine. "Well, you're not saying much all of a sudden," she smiled at him, yearning for some talk.

"Hm?" he said, his head suddenly perking up out of his trance.

"You're thinking about something, aren't you?"

"Um, no. Well, yes, but now I forgot what it was about," he blankly said. "Hold on, I'm trying to remember… oh, right: birthdays. Mum's birthday is coming up in about a week's time, so I'm wondering if maybe you and I should head back to Twinleaf and spend the day with her and then we can go back to our journey. Besides, I think I should show you around my hometown for once."

"Oh, that sounds great! Are you going to buy her a present?"

"I will. If not, I'll make her one myself."

She gasped with pleasant surprise, "You _make_ presents? Aw, that's sweet of you!" she gushed.

"No, wait, you got the wrong idea," he corrected her, laughing. "I have _zero_ artistic potential, just like Dad, actually," he chuckled, "I'm going to bend the world to make sure I can buy her a nice gift because Arceus knows, and even _she_ knows, anything I make with these hands is good for firewood."

"Lucas, it's not about _what_ you give," Dawn genuinely explained, "The fact that you'd put in the work to make her something is what matters."

"Let me put my skills into context," he began with a half-smile as he painfully remembered memories over a decade old, "You know how we make those little crafts out of clay and popsicles sticks and stuff in elementary school?"

"Yeah," Dawn said with an anticipatory smile.

"We have a small shelf rack full of that stuff I made in my parent's room. I cringe every time I walk past that stuff. As a matter of fact, they used to be on our kitchen counter in our old house where most guests could see them. And one day, Dad asked me if he could move them 'a little further inside the house', and he looked at me like he was putting my sick Pokemon down but breathed a sigh of relief when I told him that I was embarrassed somebody would see them, too. My artistic skills have only diminished since."

Dawn chuckled as she briefly imagined an elementary school-age Lucas getting his clothes and sleeves dirty with glue and clay as he made little crafts with the rest of his class. "No, Lucas, it's not how good you are at making things that show you care. If you made your mother a present with your own hands, and showed up at the doorstep with a little craft in your hands and handed it to her, she'll cherish it forever," she said softly as she placed her hand on his as he blushed wildly, nervous about the fact that he had no passive way to hide it. "You should make her a present."

"Hm, you're way too good at understanding people's feelings. Fine, I'll make her a present, but now I have to ask: are you going to expect the same thing for your birthday?" he joked.

"I don't know, am I?" she returned with a smile that suggested that answer.

"Fine, don't expect much, but I'll make you one, too," he said as she gave a heart-melting grin.

"Your mom's certainly happy to have a kid like you, isn't she?" Dawn said with a gentle tone.

"Eh, it's a compromise," he shrugged, "You've probably found out the uneasy way by now that if I have a sense of direction as to what I want to do, I'm a locked cruise missile. Unless, of course, I think that I don't have expertise on the subject, gift-giving being one of those subjects," he conceded at the end.

"That's true, but for someone with a sense of direction, I still don't know what direction you're headed in, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the future," she sighed dreamily, "Where do you want to go?"

"I want to beat the league, duh."

"I already know _what_ you want to be," she tenderly smiled, "But… after that. _Who_ do you want to be?"

"Wow," he said, trying to digest what she'd asked him, "That's a deep question."

"It's not like I met you yesterday," she coyly said, "I'm going to ask you deeper questions than 'So, what do you like to do for fun?'," she said with friendly warmth.

"Well, I can't think of anything."

"Really?" she said with her eyebrow raised, taking a sip of her soup before taking another cut of her steak.

"Fine, you answer the question first, then I will."

"Okay, I will," she smiled, "Well, if I'm Top Coordinator and just saying that gets me all tingly inside, I… want to be famous."

"Like a movie star?"

"Uh, no. Well…" she said scratching the back of her head, "I guess… I'm not good at saying what's on my mind on the fly. I'll try to word it better," she laughed. "I… want to feel successful. I want to know that people look up to me, that I've proven myself as someone… special. But, now that I'm thinking out loud… I realize I want more than that…" she softly trailed.

"More success than… success? Have you had too much wine?" Lucas joked.

"Oh, knock it off," she said with slightly slurred speech, although she caught herself and adjusted before speaking again. "I want a family. A small one, but I grew up an only child, and I know how much I wanted siblings," she chuckled. "I'll want to tell them stories, go on trips with them, take them to school, and I'll want all kinds of adventure, too. I know I…" she paused as she choked up a bit, "Family isn't something I've always had," she sorrowfully said, "I guess that's why it's the thing I want most."

"Family, huh? I guess, one way or another, that's what I want, too," Lucas said with a soft, contemplative tone. "Family. Yeah, to come home, kiss your wife, hug your kids: that all reminds me of what life was like with Dad around, a close feeling of comfort all around you. It might feel like a part of him came back to me. But I can't deny I want things far beyond that."

"Really? And what things might those be?"

"Money and power," Lucas nonchalantly said.

Dawn almost spit her wine, coughing a bit before regaining her composure and dabbing herself with the napkin. "That was a smooth transition," she joked, "Here we have a loving father and husband: caring, protective, maybe even a bit romantic. And _here_ we have a tyrant dictator ready to burn the world the for green and greed? Doesn't add up, huh?"

"In my defense, I never said anything about being a tyrant: I only said I wanted to be in power. Dawn…," he transitioned into a more somber tone, "I'm not going to be evil or selfish or something, but I want to see Sinnoh be the world power it used to be before The Great Pokemon War. And I need money and power to make that come true, that's all."

"I… don't even know how to internalize that, to be honest. That wasn't even what I was asking about, actually," she shrugged, "What about, you know, personal things. Fun things. Silly-Lucas things?"

"Good point. Before I die, I want to buy two, fully functional navy boats, sail them out into Canalave Harbor, put Barry and his Pokemon on one ship and myself on the other, and fire at each other until the other ship sinks," he said with a perfectly straight face as he imagined the whole ordeal in his head. "We promised each other we'd pool in resources when we got older to do that."

"Sheesh, I expected something a _lot_ more simple and innocent," she laughed, "But I'll admit, I know that you can come up with the _wildest_ plans. I'm pretty sure your kids are going to have a fun dad."

"And I'm sure yours will have a sweet mum," he smiled back as he eyed at the last piece of the Green Olive Tapenade that had been left untouched.

Dawn quickly followed his gaze to the little piece of bread, realizing they were thinking the same thing as she noted his hesitation to take it. "You can have it, you know. I'm just going to get dessert after this," she chuckled.

"Oh, thank you," he instantly said, seizing the warm, spiced yet tangy piece of bread without even making eye contact with Dawn, taking a bite and chewing away.

"You're not even going to ask if I want some?" Dawn asked with a sad, puppy-like face.

Lucas snapped out his trance, a mouthful of the tapenade as he froze suddenly and looked at Dawn. Dawn smiled mockingly at him as he rapidly chewed and swallowed his morsel so he could respond. "You said you didn't want it," he asked, confused.

"I _said_ that, but there's a subtlety to it. You're supposed to be nice and defer to me, you know," she said with a cute tone of authority.

"Dawn, I think it's evident by now that you have a degree in this whole subtlety-behind-words-and-actions thing, and I'm absolutely illiterate on the subject," he confessed apologetically, "You'll just have to mean the words literally."

"Or you can just—"

"It's hard, I know. Using words with their actual definitions is difficult for some people," he joked as she made a mock frown, "But I think we can teach each other to understand what the other is saying."

Dawn simply rolled her eyes was finishing up the last few bites of her filet mignon, noticing Lucas had already finished his. "How do you think they make this taste so good?" she asked him, holding up the last piece she cut on a fork.

"Well, it's the mix of everything, really. The tangible but not overwhelming contrast in texture from the sear on the outside and the juiciness on the insides gives the perfect resistance to your bite force. And this is a good cut of meat, too, filet mignon. It's very tender, so I'm assuming it was a well-marbled cut, too. But then again, I'm a sauce guy, and this cream sauce is a candidate for replacing my blood," he said, trying to note all the aspects he could appreciate about the dish.

"I'm guessing you're a wonderful cook," Dawn deduced.

"Well, yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know the flavors, the styles, and the outcomes of different methods and procedures. I got mum's nose for sure, so each dish is like a different kind of amusement park ride for me, but I _cannot_ , for the life of me, cook efficiently. I'll try to help mum cook food sometimes, especially when she's tired, but even then she cuts the onions and stuff in like five minutes while I'm taking an hour trying to peel the potatoes without gashing the peeler into my heart," he said with a short laugh. "But what about you?"

"I _love_ cooking. Well, I love trying to cook," she smiled with a look of painful remembrance of her cooking skills, "I tried making crème brûlee once for me and the Professor this summer."

"And how'd that go?" Lucas asked with an anticipatory smile.

"The Professor said that he might use at as stimulus to test stress in Pokemon," she glumly said. "So… not well." She took another sip of her wine as the candlelight flickered beautifully before her, her red dress sparkling in the somewhat dim, yellow light of the restaurant. "But if we're going to be with each other for a while, we might as help each other by cooking together, right?"

"Sounds wonderful to me," Lucas agreed, noting he found it nearly impossible to take his eyes off of her when she smiled.

"What's with the look?" she coyly asked.

Lucas had gotten a bit used to her questions at this point, and the nervousness that gripped him a few weeks ago had all but evaporated. "You look absolutely beautiful tonight."

"I don't look beautiful every night?" she smiled back alluringly.

"Well, yes, of course, but exceptionally so today. Maybe it's that smile you've had on your face since you won."

"I have to admit, winning that contest, especially knowing you were right there training with me and watching, I felt like I'd finally done something worth remembering. I feel like, there's been a part of me since I was a little girl that's wanted this, and now, I'm finally filling that part up," she said with a fulfilled, glowing expression.

The palate cleanser Dessert soon arrived as Pierre placed a perfect white sphere sprinkled with coconut shavings for each of them with a thick wooden skewer sticking upward out of the core of each, before placing a narrow glass of water with various infused flavors and pudding wine in yet another one of the goblets at the table. The dessert certainly had Lucas' sight and smell fulfilled, but even his ears felt sweetness as the ambiance music which played various classical pieces all night shifted to a piece that even he could recognize. He could recognize the bouncy, happy, tune and he even found himself humming along as he pulled a slice from the apple.

The inside of the slice, just as Pierre said, was a perfectly crisp and juicy Granny Smith apple, while its outside was coated in a mouthwatering and delightful layer of creamy caramel and chocolate that was a tactile delight for his teeth before the milky sweetness of the white chocolate and exotic aroma and sweetness of the coconut released a harmony of flavors that seemed to compete with the harmony of the music as he imagined himself swimming in fountains of the delectable caramel-chocolate sauce.

Dawn, of course, was in a paradise of her own as she took her first slice of the apple, and even she seemed to recognize this particular musical piece in the background, but even more so, she recognized that Lucas was humming along with certain parts as she smiled to herself. "Do you know the name of the piece?" she asked with a knowing smile.

Lucas quickly chewed and swallowed before answering, a bit embarrassed. "Um, no. I don't. I just think I've heard it a lot, so I know the tune."

"It's called Waltz of the Flowers. It's my favorite," she softly said as her gentle smile burrowed into Lucas' mind. "Every time I hear this song…" she trailed as she closed her eyes let the music fill her ears, "I feel so hopeful like I want to be wherever I am, with whoever I am, forever," she finished as she opened her eyes as Lucas looked into hers. "But," she started again, shattering his trance, "If I can't make this Snow Globe dessert at home, I'll be very sad."

"You're right," he nodded, "I say this is the first thing we work on cooking together."

"Agreed," she glowed back before she took a sip of her pudding wine.

They soon finished their dessert and soon the small bites of praline-caramel filled chocolate truffle soon after before both dabbed themselves with their napkin as Pierre arrived with the bill.

Lucas breathed a quiet sigh of relief as the bill came out to be just under the amount of cash he had on his person, although he was a bit surprised that the bill and tip hadn't topped $300. _"I really can't afford this twice unless I beat another gym,"_ he thought to himself, _"Or get to business in tournaments and battle circuits as soon as possible."_

He and Dawn didn't wait much time for Pierre to process the payment as he returned only a minute later, thanking them and leading them back to the lobby of the restaurant where they exited again through the jet black door. As soon as they opened the door, however, a breeze of wind blew against them, and while Lucas' suit had enough layers to block some of the cold, Dawn's dress certainly didn't as she shuddered. "I th-thought you said it didn't get too cold in Floaroma," Dawn said.

"I did, but this is nighttime, after all. It's not gonna be _warm_ ," he pitifully said as he took off his coat to offer it to her. She quietly took it slung it over her shoulders so at least the backless part of her dress wouldn't feel the brunt of the cold. They made the short walk to the Pokemon Center in a relatively short time, checking in quickly and switching into comfortable pajamas.

Dawn came out of the bathroom fully switched out her other clothes, a relieved smile on her face. "I don't care how I look. These feel _so_ much better than that dress and high heels," she as she stretched with a grin while Lucas sat chuckling on his bed.

"Well, you're still as beautiful in pajamas as you were in that dress," he smiled back, "I don't think it's the dress that makes your look."

"Oh, shut up," Dawn half-shyly said as she gave him a slight push on the shoulder before sitting on her bed.

Dawn opened her mouth to say something just before Lucas spoke: "Oh, Dawn, I completely forgot: we haven't healed our Pokemon!"

"You're right," she realized. "Oh no, they must be so—"

"Don't beat yourself up over it," he chuckled, "Just give me your Pokeballs, and I'll head downstairs and hand them over to the nurse," he assured. "That way they'll be on full health by the time we get up tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, good idea," she said as she got up to retrieve her Pokeballs from her bag where she'd kept them after the contest. "This is Hazel's, and this is Margaret's," she explained as she handed them over to Lucas.

"Got it," he nodded as he turned to put on his shoes, "I'll be back soon."

"Mhm," she nodded back.

Lucas quickly made his way down the stairs from their room to the ground floor where he noticed that the canteen was shut off before looking at the clock, realizing it was already 11:00 at night. "Hi, how can I help you?" the nurse attending the desk him when he approached the desk.

"I, uh, need to heal these Pokemon," he said as he pulled out the five Pokeballs from his pockets. "Can they be healed by tomorrow morning?"

"Oh, certainly!" she announced, "Just give me a minute to log this in and I can leave them to go through the full healing procedure. I'll need your Trainer ID, first."

"Sure," Lucas nodded as he pulled his Trainer ID from his wallet, handing it over to her.

"Lucas, is it?" she said, looking at his name on the ID.

"Yep."

"I suppose you've heard of that boy who fought back Team Galactic here at the Valley Windworks, right?" she asked as she copied some information into a form with carbon copies.

"Oh, yes," Lucas said with a slight smile on his face, careful not to reveal anything about himself. "I've heard a bit about him here in the past few days."

"Here? He's been the talk of Sinnoh for the past few days, especially in times where the government is tying its hands up trying to avoid the tyranny that plagued us during The Great Pokemon War. It's too bad the security footage couldn't clearly capture his face, though. Even a phone camera has better resolution these days. What do you think of him?"

"I don't really know, myself. I understand what he did, but I can't help but think if maybe he needs oversight. Would oversight from this government even mean much? But if not this government, then who can we ask to get rid of Galactic?"

"Those are the same questions everyone else has," she sighed as she continued to fill out the paperwork. " _I_ hear that he's got a special someone, too."

"Really?"

"Haven't you seen the footage? You don't risk getting yourself killed like that for someone else unless it's someone special to you, right?"

"Hm, I guess so," he nodded

"As thankful as I am for what he did, I don't want him to have do it again, though."

"Why not?"

"He's still a _boy_. He could be my younger sibling or something, it… bothers me that someone like him had to put up his life against Galactic," she reasoned. "And… we're finished," she said, signing a form and giving him a pen to sign as well. Lucas signed and gave the materials back to her, which she quickly stowed in a file.

"Thank you, ma'am," he said as he headed back up.

"No problem, take care!" she politely said as she went back to work.

 _"A special someone, the talk of Sinnoh, just a boy—where do I even BEGIN?"_ he thought amusedly. _"Just a boy—I'm a hell of a lot more dangerous and capable than just a boy. Talk of Sinnoh—I doubt that'll be for long, at least I hope I won't be. I don't want Galactic tailing me any more than they already are. But special someone—that part might be… right,"_ he contemplated with an emerging smile.

Lucas chuckled to himself about what just happened as he inserted the key and opened the door to the room only to be pleasantly awed by what was inside. There she was: standing in the dead center of the room, standing straight with an almost embarrassed look on her face and her arms hanging straight in front of her, hands clasped as the slow classical music from earlier in L'essence was playing on her phone. "This is 'The Waltz of the Flowers', right? That song you said you liked?" he asked with a curious smile.

Dawn nodded affirmatively with her lips shut.

He took a quick look around the room again before a slow smile crept across his face before he looked at Dawn again, putting two and two together. "Let's see: your favorite music is playing, you're in the middle of the room, and you have the most adorably flush look on your face. It looks to me like you were… _dancing_ ," he proposed, picking up on Dawn's fleeting shift in expression as she revealed a sudden smile at him.

Though there was a short smile, Dawn was still silent and unmoving, however, as he continued.

"Yes," he said clapping his hands, "You were dancing in here while I was gone, I opened the door, and you…" he said as he walked closer to her before knocking the water off of his umbrella and leaning it on the wall, "for whatever reason stopped when you heard the keys in the door but didn't have time to cut the music. And now here we are: you're blushing a teeny bit more as I speak, and you have a cute smile spreading across your face as you realize I just detective-d the past five minutes perfectly, leaving me confused as to why you stopped dancing just because I walked in," he finished in an investigative voice and a Galarian accent. "Am I right?" he said, sitting down on the bed a few feet away from her to keep her from becoming too uncomfortable or embarrassed as she blushed wildly, looking at the ground.

Dawn was no amateur, however, as she quickly recollected herself and looked at him with a smile: "I'd never expect a moment of genius like _that_ from you, but yes, Detective Drake," she said with a glowing smile as she walked over to him, "it seems you've cracked the case quite well."

"I like the sound of that: Detective Drake. It would make for a great TV series, don't you think?"

"Oh yeah, I can see it now. _Detective Drake: The Egomaniac Investigator_ ," she laughed, using her hand to spread the title out in the air.

"Well, I'm still curious, Dawn: where'd you learn how to dance, why do you like that song in particular, and why'd you stop when I walked in? Oh, and you _have_ to answer the questions: it's the price for my investigative work."

"Alright, alright," she said, waving him off. She put her hands on her hips, looking down at him as he sat on the bed, all while "The Waltz of the Flowers" grew into a sonorous and thunderous crescendo as the song reached the final quarter. "I learned to dance since I was a little girl. I was in ballet… almost as long as I can remember. Maybe since I was three or four," she said with a reminiscent tone. "It was hard. It was grueling. I felt like stopping _all_ the time. But I still loved it. I loved getting up there and performing these precise, beautiful, and delicate arts in front of an audience, especially mom and Dad. I mean, I think that maybe why I loved Pokemon Contests as a little girl, and why I still love them so much now."

"Damn, so you're a professional, huh?" Lucas asked with complete awe and admiration.

"I mean, I guess so… to some extent. I… stopped. After mom and Dad passed away. I didn't have as much time with the Professor as I did back home. I'd spend some of the day crying and some of the day scolding myself for crying and the rest of the day helping the Professor, as best I could so I wouldn't be a dead weight to him," she said, a bit of remorse and sadness tingeing her tone. "That song was our favorite, though. Mom and Dad said I used to try to dance to it since I could walk, and since then it's been the song that reminded me of what we had when we used to be a family. When I had normal teenage girl things to worry about in a normal teenage girl's life," she softly reminisced as she sat down next to Lucas.

There was a small pause. "Dawn, I didn't know… this was so personal. I didn't mean to open up old wounds: I'm really sorry," Lucas softly apologized, surreptitiously putting his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him.

"No, no, it's fine. I needed this. Part of the reason I stopped dancing, the reason why I stifled that whole part of me, was because it reminded me of mom and Dad too much. I just felt it insulting and painful to be reminded of a life and dream I couldn't live anymore. Every time I heard the music, I thought of them and all the time and effort we would have spent together on ballet and performing, so I just… let it all go. I left it," she said with her eyes closed.

Lucas let her rest her head on his shoulder as she spoke, gently and subconsciously stroking her hair as he let her voice fill his ears.

"I hid that part of me from myself and everyone else. But when I heard that song in the restaurant today, I didn't feel that pain or anger anymore. I felt… happy. I felt like I _could_ live out a successful and passionate life I wanted with people I cared about," she said, holding his hand. "For the first time in my life, I felt a happiness I hadn't in a while. I wanted to feel myself dancing to that happiness again, to remember good times I had not with pain but with some hope. Some joy," she said as she turned her head to smile at Lucas, who simply looked into her eyes, awestruck and mesmerized while "The Waltz of the Flowers" finally came to a vibrant and energetic close in the background.

The room was left with a few seconds of silence when Lucas tenderly smiled at Dawn. "I didn't think it was possible to fit so much perfection into one person, Dawn." Just then, the track changed as another, slow song began to play.

A few brass instruments played soft notes blended seamlessly with each other in intervals marked by a few, sweet and short notes of woodwinds as an image of a delicately blooming flower or a river meandering through a city at night glimmered in Lucas' mind while Dawn had donned a wide-eyed smile as the track changed, unbeknownst to him.

 _"Gosh, I know that song, but I can't remember the name… what was the name? 'The Blue Danube'?"_ he thought to himself. "Hey, Dawn, do you know the— woah!" he exclaimed as Dawn suddenly stood up and pulled him up with her into the center of the room. "Uh, what are you doing?" he asked with a smile, curious yet surprised by her sudden move.

"Do you know how to Waltz?" she pressed with a confident smile, her soft but vibrant gaze looking endearingly into his brown eyes.

"Um, no," he plainly and embarrassingly said, "I, uh… yeah, no, I don't how to dance at all," he said, looking downward somewhat sheepishly as she still held both his hands, with the music still cruising slowly and melodiously.

"That's fine," she said with a disarming smile, "Just follow my lead. Put this hand in mine," she said, finding his confusion and passiveness cute as she pulled his left hand outwards with hers, their fingers interlocking. "And put your other hand on my waist."

"Your what now?" he perplexedly asked, his mind now running Windows XP stuck in a boot-load, to which Dawn simply laughed. The music swelled from the soft and melodious brass punctuated by woodwinds to an exuberant yet graceful sound of strings and violins that suddenly yet softly fell in volume before following a soft and graceful tune, like a gentle flower field of buds opening one by one.

"I said put your other hand on my—here," she said as she grabbed his hand and put it on her waist, realizing the kind of catatonic state he was in. "Now, like I said, just follow my lead, okay?" she happily asked as she put her other arm around him.

"I-I'm sorry Dawn, I don't think I ca—"

"Shh, you talk too much, Lucas. Your head doesn't know it, but your heart knows how to dance with someone," she beamed at him with a soft look of reassurance. "Trust me."

"Okay," he softly replied, holding his gaze on her smiling face as long as he could, setting his brain on autopilot as he let his legs and hands work on their own, following Dawn's movements.

In the background, Blue Danube began to have a light, quiet, punctuated tune that faded yet again into a crescendo that slowly rose to the original, main melody of the song. All the while, Lucas maintained full focus on himself not tripping like a Deerling on its new legs in the spring. _"Playing sports is easier. At least you don't have to catch the ball at a certain pace. Ya just catch it. I'm almost a foot taller than her, and I still have to match my steps with hers?"_ Yet slowly, while his mind began to catch fire with the complex coordination, a silent processor in his mind began to decode and replicate the movements that Dawn was leading him into. He didn't notice how, except that it was happening. Of course, there'd be the slightest delay between her initiation of a step and his following, but it wasn't… artificial, unnatural.

"See?" Dawn encouragingly said with a soft smile, "You're getting it now, aren't you?"

"Why are you making me do this?" he joked back.

Dawn rolled her eyes with a smile as a pleasant silence washed over them again as Danube pranced along with a happy tune, closing the song. Lucas gently spun Dawn around into an embrace as the song finally came to a close on a soft, timbre note that faded away into silence, leaving Dawn and Lucas tightly holding each other close with each other and their thoughts. He smiled somewhat nervously as he could feel herself pressing forward, pulling her chest into his as she looked up into his eyes.

And it just happened. He placed his right hand behind her head as she closed her eyes, gently laying a small peck on her lips. He pulled back slowly, the intense cedarwood, patchouli, and fragrant coffee smell of her perfume lighting his senses as a warm rush coursed its way through him. It was something he'd never felt before until she quickly pulled him in again, surprising him as she passionately shared with him something she'd always wanted to for a while.

They separated again, a short smile on both of their faces. "That felt…" Dawn trailed with a red complexion.

"Right," Lucas softly finished as their heads touched again. "It felt right."

Dawn gave a quiet chuckle as she leaned on him in his embrace. "Lucas?" she softly whispered.

"Mhm?"

"Nothing," she softly cooed as she hugged him. "I'm just so… happy."

"So am I, Dawn. So am I," he smiled as he looked out the window. He thought he saw a flash behind a shadowy in the distance. But it couldn't be. There were no storms in Floaroma for another few weeks at least. It didn't matter anyway. He and Dawn were finally where they wanted to be: in each other's arms.

 **"Alright, so, that completes... a first big moment in the story. Felt good writing that down because be prepared to walk-through with these two through Eterna Forest! Now, for those of you who read that dining scene and thought, "Dude, that's not food. That's toxic! I'll have you know that I took recipes I know I liked and added a twist that I thought would make them taste better based on what I know, oh well. And for the rest of you who thought, "My arse, that is a fine dining experience you uncultured pleb," I've only been in a fine dining setting four times my entire life. Yeah, not much exposure and ton of speculating, so forgive me on that. That being said, I would TREMENDOUSLY appreciate any reviews on this and the last chapter (since they're kinda linked) and I will try to respond to ya'.**


	22. Chapter 22: Lost in an Eterna-ty

**Not a lot of intro to this chapter. So, here you go! I hope y'all had a Merry Christmas and I hope you'll have a happy New Year, but with that said—here's the new chapter.**

Chapter 22: Lost in an Eterna-ty

"You know what I have to do, Barry," Lucas growled, his arms twitching as his brow furrowed. "I'm not going to let this chance escape. A chance to make things… perfect."

"Lucas, that's not how this works. You know _that._ I can't let you do this."

"Fine then," Lucas smirked, "Give me an alternative."

"I can't give one right now!" Barry spat back in frustration, "But that doesn't make what you're doing right."

"There's no other way to fix what happened. I want to see her again, Barry. I didn't get to say goodbye. To either of them."

"Lucas," Barry said in a suspended moment of sympathy as the corners of mouth dropped and his face momentarily relaxed, "I know what that's like. I… wish I could. Everyday. But it's not supposed to happen. There are things we can do, things we have the power to do, but that doesn't mean they're the things that we should do. Nobody is meant to have that kind of power. Use your head, not your heart: they were sealed away for a reason, and your pain isn't the right reason to unleash that power."

"Hm, I'm way beyond reason, Barry. Ironic, I know, but the toughest branch snaps the hardest. Stop trying to fix this," Lucas calmly but angrily spoke back as he pulled a Pokeball from his bag, "But I can break you," he flared as the wind gusted across the rocky, shattered marble on the cold, misty mountaintop.

"We're… brothers," Barry said with a shattered expression before steeling his nerves and standing upright. "This isn't how we're supposed to do this. _I_ don't want to do this," he said as he pulled out his own Pokeball.

"Don't worry. When I'm done, none of this will matter anyway," Lucas smiled. Both of them released their Pokeballs with a blinding white light that obscured the entire scene, throwing Lucas back into the blue tunnel as he fell through again. _"I… this feels too real. Make it stop,"_ Lucas thought, paralyzed and trembling as he kept flailing and falling endlessly through the same blue tunnel he'd grown familiar with. _"This is that sleep paralysis/lucid dreaming thing, right? It's got to be. Come on, Lucas. Snap out of it. It's fake. Snap out of it!"_ he worriedly thought to himself as he tried to flail and kick his muscles into hopefully knocking him into real motion into the real world.

But he just deviated he trajectory down the tunnel and slammed into the blue wall again, phasing through into a translucent blue emptiness that suddenly faded into another scene. He was still falling, but now he could feel a cool wind on his face. He closed his eyes, for a moment, the panic subsided.

But only for a moment. He was throttled into a worried frenzy as the scene around him pierced through the blue with sudden clarity. He suddenly wasn't falling anymore. He was on the ground, a tough, muddy, rocky terrain on a steep cliffside in high, cloud-filled altitudes somewhere. He was standing upright, standing next to Dawn as a bright flash on the edge of his vision flashed. "Houndoom, Heat Wave!" a deep, growling voice thundered.

He didn't choose what happened next. He never chose anything in these visions, but this one felt… instinctive. A blinding red light seared its way toward her, melting and igniting things as it charged past, just as he threw himself onto her, squeezing her tightly in a protective embrace as his momentum threw both of them into over the ledge of the slope, falling again into an unsettling grayish opaqueness. He closed his eyes, shuddering in panic as he still held onto her, sheltering her from the debris flung by the missed attack and the incoming ground below them as much as he could.

"Lucas," she lightly said to him, as he flashed open his eyes from the panic. She seemed concerned, her expression giving her care and worry for him away as she called his name out again, this time shaking the entire scene and seemingly his mind's stability. "Lucas!"

Lucas slammed awake, every muscle in his body reflexively tightening with incredible strength as though he was convulsing while he was still in bed as his eyes flashed open "Lucas! Wake up!" a familiar voice said to him with the same tone of worry from his dream. "A-are you okay?" she stammered. He was clinging to Dawn. He'd thrown every appendage he could around her and seemed to try to seal her into his embrace. "Heh, you're, uh, holding a little… tightly," she managed to lightly gasp out before he quickly relaxed his grip and pushed himself off.

"I'm sorry, Dawn. Are you okay?" he apologized as he sat upright in an uncomfortably humid sweat as he heaved breaths rapidly. He sent his hand through his hair, feeling the heat exude from his forehead as moved the hair from in front of his face. He slammed his palm into the side of his bed as he grounded himself back in reality.

"I'm fine, Lucas. Another bad dream?"

"Another one, Yeah."

"Was it the same one?"

"No. Not really, it was just weird," he shrugged. "I'm sorry I woke you up," he apologized. "I don't know what's up with my mind tonight. This never happens."

"Don't apologize," she smiled, pushing his forehead, "It's not like you mean for it to happen, anyway," she wearily said. "Do you want a drink of water or something?"

"I'm fine now. I… don't even remember what it was about anymore," he yawned. Lucas took a quick look at the clock next to him. "It's 4 in the morning. You should get some sleep, Dawn," he said as he slowly pushed her back into bed, tucking her in.

"And you?" she mumbled as she closed her eyes.

"I don't think I can go back to sleep," he sighed, "not in a sweaty mess like this. We're going to head to Eterna Forest tomorrow, and we've also got to Arthur's house today, too. I think I'll start planning things out. We need to get moving soon," he said as he gently patted her before pulling the covers over her and rolling her off the bed. "Besides, you need your rest after that contest." Dawn didn't say anything as she drifted off quietly, her slow breathing the only sound left in the room as Lucas smiled, stretched, and moved off of the bed. "Hm," he sighed as he leaned over to kiss her cheek as she slept. _"Hard to leave you when you look that adorable while you're sleeping, Dawn,"_ he thought to himself before cracking his knuckles and marching to the bathroom.

He quietly brushed his teeth and stepped into the shower as he turned it to the coldest possible setting, the freezing torrent of water jarring him awake as he stiffened up from the chill before cooling his fiery mind off from the fright of the nightmare, leaning his head back against the tile wall. "I don't understand," he sighed, thinking out loud, "It's the same dream every time. The blue tunnel, a flash, I fall out, and that… _man_ is there. Was he even there this time? Am I… forgetting or hallucinating?" Lucas tried recalling random bits and pieces of the dream as best he could, but nothing seemed to sink or settle anywhere in his memory. "He was wearing a grey… spacesuit? Was he Galactic? Where have I seen him before?" he sighed.

He walked out, dried up and stepped into some comfortable clothes as he looked at the mirror. Johanna always told him he looked a lot like his father. He never believed her, but at the time he was still fairly young, and he couldn't tell who he really looked like and neither could he care. But now, he could see she was right. He had his mother's eyes and hair, but his face was otherwise unmistakably his father's.

He combed his hair and walked out, pulling some notebook paper and a pen from his bag as he took a deep sigh, writing down and organizing everything he knew about Team Galactic, who was involved, where they were, and what he thought their motives could be. He made himself a cup of coffee in between his work, taking in the energizing, warm beverage as the sun began to rise outside, giving an igniting yellow tint to the room and the landscape.

"We've got a whole day in front of us," he sighed. "Should be plenty of time to get moving," he said as he did a quick run in his mind of all of the gyms he knew were in the Sinnoh circuit before realizing how much he truly didn't know. _"I don't even know all of the type effectiveness rules,"_ he thought, _"I don't even know all the names of all the gym leaders. Tournaments, rules, play styles, regulations—Arceus I'm working in the fuckin' dark, here."_ He pulled the page to the side as he opened a fresh page, clicking his pen as he pulled out a laptop from his bag beside him, pulling up a swath of tabs on types, styles, strategies, and history, Pokemon team compositions and rarities, racking up his mind with as much information as he could.

He loved combat. He loved to fight. But, he knew this was one thing he was good at—studying. James always told him that a strong opponent can never beat a smart one, and Lucas took that advice with him everywhere he went. The sun began to move across the sky from behind the mountains as the clock began to edge on 10 o'clock. Lucas' pen still burned away at the paper as his eyes moved rapidly between the screen and the notebook, his hand transcribing and his mind organizing volumes of data as quickly as he could while he thanked himself for having a day with no schedule.

It wasn't much later that he decided to look at some of the trending approaches to battling and attack strategies for his Pokemon when he stumbled across some news articles, spotting a name that he was learning to become familiar with: Brendan Maple. "Hm," he said as he read an article about the rising Hoenn trainer's string of victories through five gyms, "You don't see a name appear that often in the news…" he trailed as he clicked on a prominent article written by ONBS, one of his most trusted reporting organizations who gave the devotion to content and reality than gossip or opinion on a matter.

His fingers slid against the trackpad of the old laptop ran through the article, digesting every letter at lightning speed. "Brendan Maple, an eighteen-year-old trainer from Littleroot… beat Rock-Type, Fighting-Type, Electric-Type, Fire-Type, and Normal-Type gyms in under a year, a record time… clinched the win over his father, the new but famed Petalburg City gym leader Norman—this kid's serious." he paused. "He put down those eco-terrorists, saved his girl from a criminal kidnapping, _and_ he's stackin' W's like pancakes… I might want to try something similar to what he's doing," he muttered lowly in a contemplative tone. He then kept reading, randomly muttering chunks aloud in the silence of the morning, "A diverse suite of strategies that grows with each gym. The most prominent Pokemon from his team is a…" he paused again and squinted, "A Gardevoir…" he trailed as he struggled to read the next part, "… she's capable of communicating verbally with humans, unlike other Psychics…a Fairy-Psychic—nope. Nope nope nope," he said with a flat tone. "Yeah, I'll have to get my wins my own way. He's him and I'm me, and I _can't_ play nice with Fairy types," he said as he shook his head with a knowing smile as he kept reading through.

He realized quickly that there was something innate and earned about Brendan's skill. Between the versatility used against opponents and his refusal to depart from core strategies and basics, he was operating a lethal team of Pokemon that was shredding through Hoenn's gym circuit like a shaving razor. He clicked his pen halfway through, writing down everything he found important from the reported strategies and statistics that the Hoenn circuit released about the battles he had with their gym leaders. "That Gardevoir is lethal," he muttered to himself, "Most of the leaders don't have an effective counter ready, and even if they did, Brendan's knocking them out with other Pokemon…"

He kept scrolling through the article, occasionally checking the reference link for his released trainer statistics and comparing them to other trainers who lost to the gym leaders recently with various suits of Pokemon teams. "He's gonna be the champion," he muttered to himself as he zoned out of his cerebral analysis and for the first time that day tried to take in the details raw with the instincts for battle he'd honed over his entire life. "You heard it here first," he chuckled as he finished the last sentence of the article. "With the numbers and victories as they are, Brendan and his girlfriend May seem to be set on a powerful trajectory that would put them not only at the front of their respective arts but on the front of Hoenn's struggle against Team Aqua and Galactic."

"Hard at work, I see," a familiar voice gently spoke behind him as he felt warm arms embrace him from behind as she put her head on his shoulder, "You just _never_ stop working, huh?" she said as she gazed at all of his papers placed out in front of him, nuzzling her cheek against his. "Let's see what you're working on…" she trailed as she looked at his writing as she picked up one of his papers, "Eight effective ways to delete fairy-types and ground-types. 1. Save Caesar for shitting on Fairy Types," she paused as she lowered her eyelids to give him a questioning look as Lucas returned a smirk while averting her gaze before she kept reading, "2. Ground types are too durable to hit with attackers—use Caesar to deliver big hits and Galahad to finish off weaker targets—sheesh, what's with all this stuff?"

"It's… how I can win. I'm not good enough on my own, er… I don't have the raw talent, unlike him," he said, gesturing to Brendan's name on the screen, "But if I can coach and chess my Pokemon through a battle, I'll be a menace on the battlefield."

"Well, I _hate_ studying," she joked, "So what do you want to do today?"

"Hm… I was thinking just to train and try to get our strengths up for tomorrow's trek through Eterna and the battles and contests after that."

"No. No training," she said pressing herself up against him, "No reading," she said as she closed his laptop, "No studying," she smiled at him as she closed his books and unclicked his pen. There was a gentle glimmer in her blue eyes as Lucas felt the warm weight of her body press against him.

"Th-then what do you want to do?"

"I wanted to spend some time with you. Alone," she smiled as she pressed her head closer to his.

"Uh, no," Lucas said, shaking his head as he knocked himself out of her entrancing gaze. "You're making this hard for me," he apologetically said as he stroked her hair "but I know I've got to work today. Besides, we're going to Arthur's house for dinner tonight, and I want to make sure that I've got the best information on Galactic… and I know that my first job is as a trainer—I've got to stay on top of things if I want to become champion, right? I mean you saw Brendan—everyone's got their way of out-classing their competition… and this is mine."

"So you don't want to spend time with me?" she pouted, letting her expression argue for her.

Lucas nuzzled her a bit more: "After I finish this."

"No, now," she protested.

"You can't just say that," he laughed, "Give me some time—after lunch, I promise," he smiled.

"Fine. But I'm holding you to that promise," she said as she left his shoulder slowly, making her way over to the restroom.

Lucas chuckled to himself as he dragged the capped side of his pen across the paper, thinking to himself as he reoriented his thoughts to where he left off. _"Oh right, type counters,"_ he thought to himself as he began writing scribbling away in his book again, the soft scratching of the nib against the paper filling the air as the sound of the shower turned on.

"Lucas," Dawn prodded gently while she looked at a sleeping mess of a boy in front of her. His mouth was open, his cap was falling off, and he was sprawled like a dead bird all over his papers and work in front of him. "Lucas!" she said a little louder, jabbing her finger into his ribs as he bounced awake like a bullet from a gun.

"Gah! What the hell, Dawn?!" he exclaimed as he grabbed his side, "That actually hurt!"

"We have to go to Arthur's house, remember? Look outside," she said as she pointed to the darkening sky "It's almost six o'clock," she smiled, "You should get ready."

"Six? H-how long have I been sleeping?!" he asked, half-surprised, half horrified. "I swear I just closed my eyes for like five minutes!"

"Well, you woke up _really_ early today. You worked for like a couple of hours after I came out of the shower and you were knocked out cold before lunch. Just like that. I didn't want to wake you up, though."

"Why? I needed to get up and work, anyway."

"No, you _needed_ to get some sleep. If you fall asleep in the middle of something like that, it means it's unhealthy for you to stay awake any longer," she informed.

"Okay, mum," he deadpanned as he got up before she bopped him on the head.

"Hey!" he said as he batted her arm away, "You're getting very used to hitting me and stuff with no consequences," he argued.

"What're you going to do about it?"

"I will…" he trailed as he rose from his seat, the height difference between him and Dawn as his frame towered nearly a half a foot above her. "Take this from you," he smirked, pulling her phone out of her hand and holding it high above his head.

"Hey! Gimme that!" she demanded, jumping up to reach it although it was over a foot and a half out of reach at that point while Lucas waved it around, teasing her as he switched it from hand to hand just as she got close. "I said give it back!"

"I will, but you have to promise not to wake me up by jabbing me in the ribs," he offered as he still played with her.

"Fine, fine, fine," she quickly agreed, "Can I _please_ have it back?"

"Alright," Lucas said, bringing the phone into her reach, although she wasn't completely sure if he was going to mess with her and pull it out of reach again, but he stuck to his word and returned it to her before turning to the bathroom to make a quick change of his clothes into something more fit for a dinner invitation.  
Dawn made her own quick change of clothes not long after, and the strolled down the Pokemon Center's lobby together, collecting their Pokemon that Lucas left to heal the night before they walked outside.

Lucas removed the small, brown piece of parchment on which Arthur wrote down directions to his house while Lucas was still in the hospital. It was written in fine, cursive handwriting: perfect penmanship in the appearance and tracing of letters yet perfectly legible and functional as a writing method, unlike what Lucas had seen many kids his age do with cursive. "Who still uses parchment?" Dawn asked as she looked at the eccentric method of message delivery that Lucas held in his hands.

"Apparently, Arthur does. Some people just like the scratch of the pen's nib against parchment over paper. Besides, if you have a fountain pen, and I'm sure based on his handwriting on the note that he does, then that preference of writing medium is going to be more pronounced."

"How do you know about all this stuff," she asked, leaning on to him as she loved to do while she held his hand, gazing at the lively but not hustled atmosphere of Floaroma around her. She'd won her first contest here. She'd had her first kiss here. She became a whole new person by the time she'd walked into and out of the borders of this immensely floral, rich, and culturally vibrant town, and it ached in her as she realized she'd be leaving the next day.

"About what?" Lucas asked, as he traced her gaze around the town while she looked at the various, estates, cars, gates, and bodies of water and plants that lined the roads, streets, and brick avenues that spawned the town's luxurious residences and facilities.

"About… everything. It's like you know a whole bunch about stuff about all these things that nobody would expect you to know, but you do, and you're perfect explaining and sharing them with everyone else. I mean, I don't even know how a fountain pen works or how to write with it?"

Lucas just began chuckling at her statement, the low pitch of his laughter resonating in Dawn as she kept leaning herself on him. "What's so funny? I didn't say a joke or something."

"Dawn, what's the difference between body cream and body lotion?" he asked. Dawn took a moment to think: she tried to process his tone to see if this was a question he was genuinely looking for an answer for or if he was just asking to see if she knew.

"Easy, body cream is usually a moisturizing mixture for your skin that has a greater component of oil in the mixture, so it's usually a bit less runny and leaves _super_ soft skin, but you also need a quite a bit because it's thick and doesn't really spread. Lotion is a more water-based than an oil-based mixture, so it's a bit runnier, it can dissolve special vitamins and nutrients for your skin, but it also feels super greasy when you put it on a hot day. So I'd say use body cream for that extra touch of moisture and healthy skin and lotion for more regular—"

"Okay, okay," Lucas interrupted, laughing again, "You get my point, right?"

"What point? You just asked me a question."

"Dawn, there is not a single man on Earth who could have answered that question on the fly. Because men's products are like shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash, toothpaste, lighter fluid, and gasoline in an all-in-one product. But _you_ knew about that, and you were ready to go off on a full essay about the difference between a _cream_ and a _lotion_. You know about some things really well, and I know about some things really well. You can't draw a line because the reasons we pick our subjects and the subjects we pick: they make us human, unique."

"That was a really beautiful way of putting it," Dawn said with a light squeeze of his hand as they traveled down a the meandering brick road back into the heart of town where they ate their dinner the night before.

"Yeah, but let's be honest, the things _I_ like to know have proven to be a lot more useful for us so far," he joked, earning a flat, jokingly displeased look from Dawn.

The clacking of their shoes against the pathway continued on for only a few more minutes until they reached a considerable estate with a massive bordering tract of land. A beautiful green metal gate with the design of trees and grape vines blocked their entrance. As two guards stood at the entrance in a grey uniform. The beige estate with flat, multi-tiered mahogany-colored roofs looked over that section of the town from its perch on the hill while periphery buildings, guest houses, and facilities seemed placed like around like a crowd around a leader.

"Arthur lives… here?" Dawn asked, a gaping look of surprise on her face as she and Lucas stared at the massive expanse of buildings and estate before them in front of rolling green acres.

"I would have never expected this from a researcher, but… he _could_ own a share in the plant. He could also be your average citizen from Floaroma," he chuckled as they approached a guard in front of the house in a jet black uniform, a badge with the name of the company that employed him, and a black police cap. He had a defined build and an authoritative, almost intimidating presence as he instantly locked eyes in their direction, walking over from his post at the gate at a reasonable pace.

"I'm sorry sir, you're not permitted to enter beyond this point," he said politely, though one hand was at his side where Lucas could tell he had a gun. "Please stand back," he said more firmly.

Dawn seemed to be in a mix between a puzzled and terrified look. "I understand," Lucas said as he halted himself and Dawn, raising the wrinkled piece of parchment in one hand. "I've got a note from Arthur," he explained, waving the note a bit for the guard to see he wasn't a threat, "We're both here on an invitation," he said as he thought for a moment about any other proofs he could summon to get entrance, "You can ask Arthur; he'll confirm the same. Just mention our names: Lucas and Dawn," he said, gesturing to himself and Dawn as he extended the note to the guard who cautiously picked it up, looked at the handwriting, gave a slight nod, and went back to his post where he picked up a small communication device and held it to his ear as the golden-orange sunset began to shift to hues of blues, violets, and pinks on the shadows and tufts of the clouds that dotted the crisp wintry sky.

Lucas couldn't really make out what the guard was saying, but he could hear his and Dawn's name being repeated a couple of times on both lines as the guard slowly walked back to them. "Thank you for complying, sir. You may proceed. Arthur told me to tell you to meet him in the hall of the main estate. Just walk straight up the path," he said, pointing up the hill that led to the perch of the estate, "And it's the first room inside. He'll receive you there," he guided, motioning for a guard in a toll booth to open the massive gates.

The gates opened quietly, opening their grand wings as Lucas and Dawn walked inside, slowly and in absolute awe as they marveled at the beauty around them. "I-I don't understand," Dawn began, taking in the feeling of her and Lucas' presence in this luxurious, pristine tract of paradise around them, "How is it that we keep running into people who can buy the world with a snap of their fingers?"

"Well, this is _just_ Floaroma. Just the countryside and downtown of Floaroma, really. You've been to Littleroot; the rest of Sinnoh isn't like this. Each town… it has its own signature. Literally, the original governors of Sinnoh, when they first joined together to form the nation, wrote their signatures representing the towns and cities they led on our first national governing document."

"You _really_ have a passion for Sinnoh, huh?" Dawn asked as she began to sense a pattern of thought.

"Yeah," he nodded, "Where you're born doesn't matter, but where you're made does. Whatever I am now, it was _made_ here. Grown here."

"Well, I was born and raised in Kanto, but, I'm finding it just comfortable here in Sinnoh. Well, if I got used to the weather," she chuckled. "But Floaroma is living up to its name. This place is like a little Kalos in Sinnoh."

" _Don't_ compare Kalos to Sinnoh," Lucas laughed as they reached the top of the hill, looking out onto the vast estate that lay before them.

They walked to the massive, mahogany door that loomed over them, dwarfing even Lucas' relatively tall frame as he rapped on the wood with the brass knock-knob on the front. "Just a moment, sir," a posh voice with a Galarian accent answered from inside, "I'll be there shortly." The door had a deep resounding _thud_ and _swish_ of air as it opened, sonorously deflecting the sound off the walls of the spacious hall inside. "Come in, sir," A man in a tuxedo said to the two, politely beckoning them in as he walked from the door he opened.

"Thank you," Dawn responded with a light smile as she and Lucas slowly made their way in. Lucas took off his jacket while Dawn removed hers right after, with both placing them over their right forearms.

"Please, make yourself comfortable here," the butler smiled at the two of them.

"Thank you, Mr…" Dawn trailed.

"You may address me as Mr. Diggs," he responded, "Now, if you'd like, I can bring you some refreshments, perhaps some tea, coffee, or mulled hot chocolate should warm you up nicely?"

"Oh, no thank you," Dawn sweetly replied, although any one of those drinks sounded like what she absolutely needed at the time. _"I'll try them later,"_ she promised herself, though she doubted she'd have to courage to ask.

"Alright, then," Mr. Diggs nodded, "Now, I have chores to attend to in the second dining hall and kitchen, so I'll be away for a short while, but you two can seat yourself here. I'm sure Arthur'll be here shortly," he addressed as he turned to the door, clicking the locks in place as the sound of metal against the woodwork rang out in the hall again before he went back inside to the east wing of the estate, down a red-carpeted hall with busts of several people lining the beige walls lighted with small chandeliers that hung from the ceiling.

Lucas and Dawn sat next to each other, trying to walk with absolute deliberateness, accuracy, and precision in their movements in their attempt to fit in with the grandiose and spectacular arrangements around them. They sat on a satin sofa, exquisitely embroidered in gold around the creases as it sat on the dark, wood floor that reflected the golden-purple light that danced from the sunset sky outside through the gentle sparkle of glass that mixed with the steady yellow light from the massive candle-chandeliers above them in the center. It seemed to be something that was so classic, a room that adhered to the beauty of architecture and design that'd survived the test of time, yet a piece of expression that revealed into the future.

The entrance hall appeared to be one piece, but it was really two rooms seamlessly fused for one marvelous aesthetic. The dark-wood of the beginning portion of the hall seemed to give the quiet, homely and cozy appearance to guests while its high ceiling and expansive lengths gave a grandiose and expansive feeling that accommodated all of the furnishings, couches, and paintings that were hung in it to greet guests. Yet right ahead from a portion of the room based on highlighting the beauty of internal architecture in 4 closed walls were two massive glass doors that led a drawing-room that drew upon the breath of sunlight from it's massive glass hemisphere that formed its back wall as it faced the sunset. On its left and right walls were shelves of books with rich, dark colors and embroidered title texts on their spines that, though indiscernible, attracted Lucas' eye from all the way in the beginning portion of the room so far away. Inside the drawing room were arrangements of tables, writing materials splayed on a massive longitude-table that occupied the middle, easels and stands, and several splays of canvas paper-sized sheets of parchment.

Lucas and Dawn seemed to humble each other out of existence until they heard a familiar voice call from above them. Lucas quickly looked up to see Arthur waiving form the top of a spiral staircase almost two stories above, though there were easily three stories above him as well. He was certainly not dressed in clothing that Lucas had seen him in earlier, the simple, pristine lab coat and glasses were gone, and a styled suit and black tie were fitted on him perfectly in their place. "Lucas! Dawn!" he greeted from above, "How nice of you to come tonight! I'll be there in a moment, just wait, if you don't mind," he quickly said as he left the side of the railing he was speaking from, walking down a spiral staircase that went up in spiral squares instead of a pure curve, once again blending classic and modern concepts seamlessly.

The sound of footsteps seemed to reach the last flight of stairs as Arthur appeared from behind a pillar that supported the entire set of stairs as he rounded the final corner. "Ah, Lucas, Dawn! How _good_ it is to see you two! I've hope you've been well—Dawn, my daughters would not let me miss your contest at all, and I'm glad they didn't: we're all absolutely stunned with you skill!" he complimented, shaking both of their hands exuberantly. "Oh, we've much to talk about and not much time. What say you to having a nice cup of tea to warm the appetite in the drawing-room first—perhaps with some hors d'ouvre—and I can introduce you to my wife and daughter before we head to dinner, huh?"

"That sounds awfully nice of you," Lucas thanked, "I really can't say how truly amazing it is to be in a… place like this," he somewhat sheepishly said as he thought of his simple, tiny home.

"I know what you're thinking—a researcher lives in a place like this? My family owned most of this land for generations before it was of any _real_ value, but since my grandfather's time, it has skyrocketed. Just to be safe, though, I started the Valley Windworks after some breakthrough research I did about energy extraction in grad-school as a safer venture in case this real-estate bet didn't always work, but, after what happened the other day, I think that's a bit ironic," he shrugged. "But now that you're here, we can throw that behind us, yeah?"

"Right, but I think perhaps we should reserve some time to discuss, uh, matters," Lucas weakly hinted, not wanting to burn the warm and hearty greeting Arthur extended them by mentioning Galactic, but he didn't want the purpose of the occasion to go unfulfilled either.

"I see you're a man of business, Lucas," Arthur chuckled, "Right to the point. I suppose we will eventually come to it, I promise. I have collected some intelligence and I have quite the number of theories to posit. That drawing room is full of the musings and discussions of me and some logicians from Jubilife University nearby. We both wanted to pool resources to try to reveal more about Galactic and their motivations and havoc," he said, pointing to the drawing-room, "But let's not forget, you're not just here on business. I want to thank you two. I thought I lost Ana that day," he said with a bit of painful remorse, "But… you brought her back to me. You didn't just save me and Ana, you saved most of Sinnoh from suffering a crippling power surge and outage. You saved the research and life's work of many learned men and women. This is what I can offer as a small token of thanks," Arthur humbly said.

"It's not necessary, really, but I must say, some respite is appreciated after yesterday's contest," Dawn said as Arthur led the two to the drawing-room, where he walked to an intercom system built into the wall and asked the chef to prepare some small pieces of hors d'ouvre for the three. "I've got to ask, though," Dawn began, "Where's Ana?"

"Oh, she's at a winter recital for her class. She and her brother are singing carols and whatnot, so Clarisse went to watch them, but I stayed behind. Someone had to receive you two," he chuckled, "And don't tell Clarisse this, but I don't think that I'd have made it through the whole thing. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but I can't do recitals: Clarisse can, though, so I suppose I've been spared guilt for now."

Lucas perused through the papers and mappings on the table. Some maps had all of the attacks that Galactic had conducted in Sinnoh till then, and in other areas, there seemed to be a list of financial tracks of investment and income of the Galactic incorporation in Veilstone, trying to draw parallels between the sudden and vigorous financial expansion of the company and the emerging violence of the terrorist group. "Did you hear about what Galactic is doing in Oreburgh, then," Lucas somberly asked, pointing to a red pin placed on a map in the center of Oreburgh in a Sinnoh map of Galactic attacks.

"Yes," Arthur gravely nodded, turning to him. "We heard from news reports that the local news stations revealed that day, but for whatever reason, none of the major news networks would dare touch it. We think there's coercion or money going between Galactic and these news organizations, but we have only brains to speculate, not brawns to affirm," he said with a dejected look, "But, how did you come to know of what they did in Oreburgh?"

"I beat the gym leader there, and by then, I'd had my fair share of run-ins with these people. Twice in Jubilife… I, uh, eliminated one of them in Jubilife," he guiltily said as she shot an apologetic look at Dawn before continuing, "And the Oreburgh gym leader told me that Galactic was harvesting material that weakened some psychic Pokemon to the point of death and seemed to lie about its contents and use as they shipped it off. He, uh, also said his hands were tied and that there wasn't nearly enough evidence for any action."

"But," Dawn began, "It didn't sound like _he_ was hiding anything. I think that… someone in the government, not a leader or person with enforcing authority like a gym leader, but unelected bureaucrats are behind this."

"Sinnoh has an honest and true government. I trust that even if they make poor decisions, they won't make decisions to the influence of some corporation or terrorist group," Lucas immediately defended, suddenly defensive about Sinnoh's image, "There's got to be another explanation for how they're getting away with these things."

"Perhaps, you're right, Lucas. I wish you were, but for now, Dawn's right, mid and high-level corruption and collusions are the best explanation for the publicly explicit but politically silent dealings of Galactic so far, but wherever they're getting to fund these operations, the corporation and the terrorists, they're smart about sharing _no_ common links except for their names. There just… is _nothing_ that remotely relates the two except the uptick in both of their activities and unprecedented expansion, but that could just be a pure coincidence."

"It _may_ be a coincidence, but I think it's more than that. Team Rocket in Kanto needed to get their weapons from somewhere, and I think that this material the Galactic mining corporation is trying to move out of Veilstone might be a—"

"Weapon," all three said at once before a period of short silence followed.

"But why?" Lucas said out of the silence, "Why a weapon for psychic Pokemon in particular? Why not just bring Dark-Type Pokemon to do the job? And why keep it a secret?" Arthur asked.

"Hm," Lucas lightly laughed, "Every time we think we've got something, more holes just open up in the prosecution. We don't know anything about them that they probably are fine with us knowing," Lucas glumly sighed, throwing his hands on the drawing table.

"That's where you're wrong, Lucas. There's one thing you and Dawn should know that will give you an edge: it's the best finding that I can offer, but it should be something that changes how you deal with Galactic hereon," he prefaced while Lucas and Dawn brought their hands to their chin in a contemplative posture.

"What's that?" Lucas said as he walked up to the massive glass dome attachment that was the rear wall of the room as the evening colors finally gave way to blended hues of the dark violets of dusk outside.

"We think that Galactic is after some kind of force. Some kind of weapon, machine, or Pokemon—we don't exactly know what—but we think we know what this is supposed to do. Some of the attacks and raids they've done, they've gone and released a video about the intent of the attack and what their goal is for their operations."

"Like statements of intent?"

"Exactly. But they're very short, and they only really emphasize one thing: that they're not after people or individuals, even, just the 'methods and means to bring the impure spirit to an end as a new universe begins.' Lucas, we think they're trying to create a means that messes with entropy, something that can bring a chaotic pile of rubble back into its original form of stacked bricks. They want to reinitiate creation."

"Like… _creation_ creation?" Dawn asked.

"Well, we don't know for sure. Their goals are vague. We don't even know what they mean by end the human spirit. And really, saying 'creation' might just be a metaphor, but we logged here," he said, "a list of possible motives of operations based on their attacks and their statements," Arthur said as he walked over to the table to pick up several sheets of paper with lists and tables. "Look here, this attack was a week ago, actually. Lucas, you were here, right?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah," Lucas and Dawn both replied together as they recollected the aggressive and horrifying attack they saw that day.

"They attacked Professor Rowan, you told me, and they tried to take his research on…"

"The evolution of Pokemon," Dawn filled in.

"Right, so they're clearly interested in some format about Pokemon, their genetics, maybe their origins and development. We don't know. But we know for a fact that Rowan's research contained some material that they deemed crucial to their goals. Look, here's my point—right now, we have enough pieces to know that we're working with a puzzle. We don't even have pieces to begin putting them together, really, but if we treat each instance like a piece, analyze it, and stop them at every turn, I think, Lucas and Dawn, what happened to me and Ana that day won't have to happen to anyone else in Sinnoh ever again."

"Alright," Lucas acquiesced, "What are we looking at so far?"

"Whatever it is they want, it needs a _lot_ of energy to make. They also want something to do with the study of Pokemon evolutions, primordial origins, maybe. And finally, they're doing something with Psychic-Types… but that's all we know now. As I said, none of these pieces seem to fit anywhere, and they say nothing about the other but we _know_ them to be true. It's a start."

"It's a start," Dawn nodded.

"A start for us to unravel them. If I see these guys again, this time I'll make sure to keep one behind. Maybe we can squeeze something out of him," he almost angrily said as he looked at the emptiness of the big picture when it came to Galactic, cracking his knuckles as he balled them into a tight fist before he looked at Dawn's pleading, dissuading expression from the corner of his eye as he let go.

"Well, that covers matters for Galactic. What's more important than _what_ we know so far is _how_ we can know more. Lucas, you and I are some of the few people in Sinnoh who see this problem as our responsibility to fix, and—"

"No, no, wait," Lucas suddenly interrupted, recalling what the nurse at the Pokemon Center said to him the day before, "I know that some people think that… this is my job. That I should what I did in the lab that day again and hunt down Galactic until they're gone… but…"

"But?" Dawn and Arthur asked simultaneously.

"But… I can't afford it. I made a promise," he said with a quick glance at Dawn, "I'll erase them if they're in my field of view, but I'm not going to go looking for them," he sheepishly said before assuming his confidence again. "I'm sorry, and I know it's a bit self—"

"Don't be sorry. What you're asking for… it's fair," Arthur nodded. "You've already done what many a man in this country cannot out of sheer good will, and you have every right and reason to avoid any more conflict with these people. I understand," he nodded, "But note: these people are not ordinary. Not if, but _when_ they appear in your field of vision, Lucas, deal with them carefully," he said as Mr. Diggs opened the door with a platter full of small slices of baguette bread with an olive oil, rosemary, and pesto-basil-based dip.

"As you asked for, sir," he said with a slight nod, "Shall I make preparations for dinner?"

Arthur gave a quick glance at the dusk sky and then his watch, "Oh, yes. Clarisse and the kids will be here soon, too," he smiled as he looked back up. Mr. Diggs once again nodded and left in the direction he came as Arthur turned back to Lucas and Dawn. "Well, I've told you everything I know, and vice versa, but what's important is that with this information, we can do the right thing with foresight instead of just improvising when it comes to these guys," he smiled. "Now, how about we—" _Ding-dong!_ A bell sounded by the door Lucas and Dawn came from. _Ding-dong._ It sounded again. "Oh, it looks like they're here!" Arthur cheerfully said, opening the door from the drawing-room as he led Lucas and Dawn to the front door. "I'm coming, hold on, sheesh!" he called out.

 _Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding._ Arthur quickly sprang over to the door and opened it. _Dong._ The bell finished chiming as a young boy, maybe only a couple of years older than Ana was giggled outside next to his little sister. He smiled as he removed his finger from the doorbell.

"Arnold, you'll break the doorbell!" Arthur chided while Ana laughed. "Come in, you two. Where is mom?"

"Right here," a sweet voice chimed, rounding the corner of the house and into view. "I parked the car, that's all," she smiled. "I see these two have done something in the meantime?" she laughed, giving a smirk at her two kids. She was tall and black-haired, almost the same height as Arthur and Lucas. She quickly took notice of Dawn and Lucas next to Arthur. "Oh! I take it you're Dawn and Lucas?" she asked, "I'm Clarisse," she said shaking their hands. "This is—"

"Hi!" Ana said with a grin, running up and giving a small hug to Dawn as Dawn knelt down and gave a hug back.

Needless to say, dinner went smoothly, and it was exactly the kind of thing Lucas and Dawn missed so much: spending time with people. Wonderful scents of spices stuck to their clothes as the happy memories of the night flowed peacefully in their minds. The evergreen tree in the warm, carpeted living room by the fireplace was decorated in bright, appealing colors. Hot food on a cold night with a warm atmosphere—he hadn't felt this… at home for a while. A long while. He and Dawn thanked Arthur, making their way back out into the cold again as they trodded across the cold of the night, the stars sparkling in the sky as the lights of Floaroma popped out one by one.

"So, where are we headed now?" Dawn asked, bumping herself into Lucas' shoulder playfully.

"We've got our equipment, so I say we hit Eterna Forest now."

"Now? But it's so cold outside!" she complained.

"Oh no, we should be fine. I can set up a fire. We have Pokemon to protect us and warm the tent with, thank you Prometheus and Hazel, we have sleeping bags, and we have each other," he smiled, pulling her into him briefly. "But most importantly, we have time to move through the forest while most of the Pokemon are asleep and won't bother us if we don't make much of a noise or disturbance."

"I-I don't know. I think that maybe we should sleep this off and go through the forest when there's some light."

"Trust me on this one, Dawn, there is no such thing as night and day in that forest anyway. You'll never see where you're going: it's that dark," he chuckled, "Come on, it'll be fine," he said as they neared the border of Floaroma and Route 205, the large, flower-laden gate that greeted visitors now bidding them farewell as they finally left the paradisiacal city.

"I'll miss this place," she sighed happily as they walked onto the same route they took to get to Valley Windworks a few days ago, the trickling of the moonlit river beside the filling the night air with the soft smell of water and the gentle sound of splashing on the banks, the cool winter wind blowing over the shrubs and ferns lucky enough to reside in the loving embrace of the waterline's nutrients and wetness.

"It's beautiful, certainly," Lucas smiled, "The people here are nice, but… this place might be perfect, and that's its problem, I guess. Everything here has the price tag of perfection on it, and living here means you'll probably have to sell an arm and a leg."

"For most people, yeah," Dawn agreed as she felt her steps on the cushioning grass of the route, "But I think a Champion or Top Coordinator can afford to live here, right?" she suggested.

"On their individual income? I don't think so. You can buy a decent life here with that money, though," he said as he looked back.

"Hm," she nodded, "But how about together?"

"Together?"

"Mhm, a Champion and a Top Coordinator."

"Yeah, I suppose they could," he pleasantly smiled. "What a life that would be," he dreamily said as he gave a quick glance at her, "Unless of course, you're one of those people that wants to live in Sunnyshore or Snowpoint, then this ain't the life for you."

"What? They can't be better than Flo—"

"Heh, you have _no_ idea," Lucas chuckled, "Sunnyshore and a Sinnoh summer go together like Snowpoint and the Sinnoh winter. They've got their specialties," he nodded.

"Well, we're going to go to both of them right?"

"Of course, you have contests, and I have gyms to beat, so yeah, we're going to eventually go to both of them," he smiled as they rounded a turn onto a wooden bridge.

The sound of the river beside them began to sound louder with the cries of Woopers in the stream squealing into the serenity of the moonlit night while the boards of the old but steady bridge sang a rhythmic thud with each of their steps as they went onto the opposite bank, facing a mountain rising to the right and a valley pass bordered by the mountain and a steep ledge to the right. There was a path they could take up the lower, and less harshly sloped side mountain, and since the valley pass route went around the mountain's base, they'd cover the distance quickly going on the mountainside but would also have to put in more effort for the climb.

"Which way do you want to go?" Lucas asked, pointing out both routes to Dawn. The grass that crowded the approach to both routes rustled in the heavy night gusts before settling until the next attack of wind came by as Dawn pondered her choice.

"We should… go up the mountain," she decided, stepping forward in the direction of the right path as Lucas quickly followed behind her. The wind slammed harder again—it wasn't consistent and it only came in short burst, but it had some strength to it. This time, it brought something more than force as Dawn's head suddenly perked up from the path ahead of her to lift her nose into the air, getting a few sniffs of the crisp, night air. "You smell that?" she asked Lucas with a happy glow. "It's… sweet. Like something delicious kind of sweet," she smiled.

"You're right," Lucas said with a smile that revealed he knew the source, "You want to try to guess what it is?"

"Mm…" she hummed, "Is it… a flower patch?" she said with an elevating pitch, seemingly second-guessing her own guess.

"No, no, but Combees make this from flowers," Lucas hinted as a grin crept onto his face as he watched her expression shine with realization.

"Honey!" she almost yelped with excitement. "Really? Where?" she quickly followed up, looking around the peaceful nature of the scenery around them to find something that would give off the sweet smell, although she had no idea what to expect she'd find.

"It's the trees over there," Lucas pointed in the direction of a patch of grass and some wooded deciduous trees that seemed to refuse to let their leaves go. "During the winter, some release their some sap from their stores onto their leaves to attract flying-type Pokemon and rodent Pokemon that feed off of the little droplets of sap and keep the tree free of pests."

"But… sap isn't honey, right?" she carefully objected.

"You're right, but at some point, the people in Floaroma found out that slathering some sweet goodies on these trees would attract more Pokemon to their area and keep some of the Flying-type and rodent Pokemon out of their gardens and homes and near these trees instead. They need flowers and colors, not nectars and honey, so they train _massive_ colonies of Combees and slather excess honey on these trees. You should see them train the Combees: it's pretty adorable," he chuckled.

"Really?"

"Yeah, their trainers are farmhands and they give little signals and instructions on which flowers to take nectar from and which flowers to leave alone like the Combees are little preschoolers. When they get something right, they give them a little nibble of Pokemon food and the Combee hive learns to work together to collect nectar and make honey."

"Ooo, I want to get one as a pe—"

"Shh," Lucas abruptly interrupted, holding his finger up, "You hear that," he said pointing to where the sweet smell was coming from, "That's the sound of the Pokemon inside. I think we should be quiet unless we want to pick a fight with a—"

"BiDOOF!" a low, echoing voice said as a beaver the size of a basketball jumped out of the nearby ferns and shrubs bordering the sweet-smelling trees. With its distinct brown coat and laughably protruding buck teeth, the unmistakably dorky-looking Beaver Pokemon stared them both down aggressively. "BiiiDOOF!" It yelled again, hopping closer to them as each took a cautious step back.

"Alright buddy, we don't want to pick a fight. For your sake. Now back off, shoo," Lucas said, waving his arms in the Pokemon's opposite direction. "Off you go," he said again with the hand motions.

"Aw, Lucas, I think he wants to catch him," Dawn almost pitifully said.

"What? No, don't you know what happens?"

"What?" Dawn said, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"You can't catch a Bidoof or 10 years bad luck."

"Nonsense, Look at him, does he look like he'll bring you bad luck?" she said stepping a little closer and removing an empty Pokeball from her belt.

"Well, no champions or coordinators carry around a Bidoof, I'm just saying," he added.

The Bidoof suddenly lunged at Dawn, its teeth flaring a blistering white as they exuded a hot glow that reddened at various places in its incisors, opening its mouth wide as it came down on Dawn to bite. Lucas' hand was even quicker: in an almost instinctive motion, he flicked open Caesar's Pokeball, launching out the blue Pokemon into battle. Caesar quickly took an assessment of the situation in a moment and fired a Bubble Attack at the Beaver Pokemon midair while Dawn was still in shock and remained frozen while she processed what was going on.

The Bidoof at Caesar's attack right in the middle of its leap, slamming into the ground headfirst as its trajectory was cut short and its attack bit into the dirt instead. Lucas raised his hand for Caesar to stop as the Bidoof slowly got up from the ground, clearly shaken and uneasy from the fall. It shuddered a bit, let its front foot cave in, but finally decided to slowly walk back from where it came, never looking at either trainer. Lucas quickly recalled Caesar and looked at the paralyzed Dawn, placing his hands on her shoulders and gently shaking her back into her senses with a warm, reassuring smile. "If we were doing this during the day, there'd be twice as many of those things," he laughed. "Are you okay?"

"Mhm," she nodded, half-confidently.

"Hey, it'll be fine," he chuckled, wrapping his arm around and squeezing her in a brief hug. "Now you know why people think they're bad luck. They look like the nerd from cartoons, but they attack like they've got the power of Arceus in them or something, really weird creatures," he mused.

"Guess I found that out the hard way," Dawn laughed along as she admired the bluish-white tint that softly reflected off of the brown and gray outgrowths of rock and dirt in the pale Sinnohan moonlight as they approached a small flight of stairs that elevated walkers onto a trail and pathway that ran along the lower slopes of the mountain beside the small valley below them. It took them a full minute to reach the top of the flight, but the railings and evenness of the steps made the climb doable and relatively painless for the two as the feeling of dirt, gravel, and rocks crunching under their boots began to fill their peaceful silence.

They had only climbed a little bit upon to the ledge when there was a man who suddenly appeared to them, walking from a secluded side of the bridge. "Um, can I—"

"Listen, kid, there's a mountain here, I'm dressed for a hike. Let's do this," he firmly said.

"Uh," Lucas faltered, a bit uncomfortable.

"A Pokemon battle, kid, do I have to spell it out for ya? Go, Geodude!" he laughed as he threw out his standard Pokeball, releasing a spherical rock Pokemon with little arms coming out of its sides as it levitated off of the ground, throwing punches in the air.

 _"_ _I've fought one of these before,"_ Lucas thought, _"This won't be that tough."_ "Alright, go Caesar!" he roared as he threw out his own Pokeball with a bright smile, "Let's do this, buddy. Start off with Bubblebeam!"

"Marv, use Rock Throw!" the mysterious hiker said. The Geodude seemed to materialize a rock as it forced its hands together, a brown, tough mass the same color as it forming right in front before it hurled it like a baseball in Caesar's direction.

"Ah shit, Caesar duck for that one!" Lucas called out. He'd noticed that the throw was aimed for the head but would easily miss if Caesar could _just_ dip his head, but the Penguin Pokemon wasn't exactly the most nimble or agile and didn't really have any contracting or flexible vertebrae and took the slamming rock straight to its prized beak and crown, shattering the rock into fragments as it fell back into the gravel.

"Ooo," Dawn cringed quietly behind him. It may have not been a super-effective attack as Caesar got back onto his feet right away, but it definitely took some air and wind out of the little Pokemon as the sound of the attack crackled in the crisp air.

"Alright! Marv, again!" the hiker said as the Geodude charged up another attack while Caesar was still a bit dazed from the sudden blow.

" _Any_ time now, buddy," Lucas said, giving an urgent glance to Caesar. " _Any_ time now," he said again as Caesar regathered his senses and popped off a jet stream of bubbles with intense velocity, the stream lapping up Geodude and his forming attack in an instant, shattering his forming rock attack and slamming him into the ground. Lucas breathed a sigh of relief as the Geodude slammed into the dirt. It shuddered, used its arms to prop itself up as Lucas once again worried that it would battle standing on its hands like Roark's Geodude did until it finally gave in and collapsed.

"Okay, that was a good round! Another!" the hiker enthusiastically said, retrieving his fallen Pokemon only to throw out yet another.

"I mean, do we, uh, need to?" Lucas half-protested, still not willing to battle on the night-hours.

"Yes of course you do. You can't run away from trainer battles," the hiker heartily laughed.

 _"_ _Wow, this is awkward,"_ Lucas thought to himself, " _Well, better get this over with as fast as I can, then_. _"_

"Marcy, out you go!" the hiker announced as he released yet another Geodude from one of his Pokeballs.

 _"_ _Another Geodude? Really?"_ Lucas shrugged. "Stay in for this one, Caesar," he calmly said, quickly analyzing a way to preemptively dodge an incoming Rock-Throw from the Geodude.

"Ha, Marcy, use Harden!" the hiker emphatically said, sure that his move would win the match.

"Um…" Lucas trailed as he didn't understand why the hiker would try to have his Pokemon defend against physical moves when he knew that Caesar had special super-effective attacks in his arsenal. "Just go with Bubblebeam again," Lucas plainly said.

The Geodude's focus made the gaps in her rock covering grow in size, creating a larger, sturdier appearance as though she was ready to tank the fire of an incoming aircraft.

But alas, she needed to tank Caesar's Bubblebeam and the attack simply washed through her defense like it wasn't there as it weathered through her health almost instantly, leaving a drenched, fainted Pokemon just like the Geodude before her.

"Interesting," the man nodded, "I didn't think that you'd get through the Harden move," he said as he rubbed his chin. "Well then, for the final Pokemon!" he announced, "Mark! You're up," he said as he threw out yet another Geodude.

"Alright, use Bubblebeam," Lucas dully said with a sigh, not even paying attention to what the hiker said as his Prinplup doled out another jet of bubbles and water that knocked the little Pokemon back onto the floor until the trainer finally recalled it. "We're done, right? No more Geodudes, please. It's not fair to them," he politely interjected before the hiker could pull out another Pokeball.

"Oh! What a refreshing battle that was. I have no more Pokemon, so I'll just get back to hiking!" he cheerfully said as he simply passed in front of them back onto a trail that led into and up the rocky formations and mountain on their left.

"Well, that was surprising, wasn't it?" Dawn chuckled after the hiker had left as Lucas recalled Caesar.

"I have no idea why he had three Geodudes. And I have no idea why he thought using them all against Caesar would somehow bring a different outcome," he chuckled back as they proceeded forward onto the trail. The rocky path they traversed on slowly sloped downwards, trying to meet at level with the valley on their right before another flight of stairs carried them to a much higher region of the mountain where they quickly traversed the distance needed overlooking the entire route and forest ahead. Though the gap to the forest seemed nonexistent, Lucas and Dawn carefully traversed the bridge and series of ledges across various high points of the rock formations until they had finally crossed through the trail, walking back onto the grass at sea level next to a small house placed in the corner of a massive rock formation, peacefully puffing smoke from their chimney.

"Oh, look how _cozy_ that looks," Dawn remarked with both glee and a bit of longingness. "Can we take a break soon? I'm a little tired," she pleaded softly as they trudged through the thick grass and undergrowth that preceded the entrance to the dark patch of expansive green up ahead.

"Just a little longer, Dawn," Lucas reassured as they sliced through some more bushes and coverings, the soil beneath their feet quickly changing from tough, hostile gravel to a soft, healthy soil as the smell of pines and dense woods of ferns and greens filled the air with a sharp, crisp freshness. They'd only taken a few more steps until yet another patterned sound of shuffling came from the bushes around them, freezing them both as they drew their Pokeballs, preparing for a hostile attacker from any direction.

"These wild Pokemon were supposed to be sleeping, right?" Dawn asked as she mocked Lucas.

"Oh come on, that was a perfectly reasonable assumption," Lucas quickly defended. "Try to see what Pokemon might be—"

"Aaah!" Dawn yelped as Lucas quickly turned to her direction in a flash to see her hands on her cheeks as she knelt down to get a direct line of sight on a little, purple and brown Pokemon that stared back at her with focused black eyes. "It's _so_ cute!" she squealed with joy as the gelatinous-looking Pokemon with a moist, membranous covering, a neon yellow border around its body, a white underbody, and pink shell-like formation on its back that blended in with the rest of its pink skin and fimbriae-like protrusions on its head crept forward like an Ekans but without twisting or slithering.

"Holy shit, that's a Shellos," Lucas whispered to her as he pulled up his Pokedex to learn more about it. "It says in here that it… evolves into a GASTRODON!" he whispered loudly to her, trying to convey his shock without scaring the Pokemon into a fight or brawl. "Wow, this guy can put up a fight, too," he continued, "It also says… beware of pushing strongly on its soft body as it causes a mysterious purple fluid to come out… yuck," he said with a slight tinge of disgust as the Shellos shot a menacing look at him in an instant. "Hey, wait a minute, I don't mean any harm," Lucas said as he put his arms up, moving back.

"Oh look, now you made it mad!" Dawn said with a bit of playful annoyance. "Did Lucas make you mad? He probably did, that meanie," she said in a child's voice to the little Pokemon. "Do you want to join my team? We can beat him together," she offered as she extended an empty Pokeball to the Pokemon.

"Wow, just throw me under the bus like that, huh?" he smiled with an eyebrow raised.

The Shellos hopped back, contracting partially into its shell but never fully retreating or striking. "You want a battle first, huh?" Dawn asked. "Okay, that's no problem!" she chuckled as she threw out Margaret's Pokeball. "We need to get her on our team, Margaret, so don't go all out on her," she advised her Pokemon, knowing that Margaret would have already been familiar with the whole induction process.

"Hm, alright," Dawn muttered slightly, assessing the properties of the Pokemon in front of her, "What type did you say it was again, Lucas?" she asked, throwing her head in his direction momentarily before returning her focus to the battlefield.

"Uh, water and ground," he replied with a quick glance at the Pokedex. "No type advantages here."

"Good, then we'll start off with Calm Mind, Margaret," she enthusiastically said, "Get yourself ready, Margaret." Margaret gave a slight nod, closed her eyes, and moved several inches off the ground and into the air. A bluish pink aura began to slowly coat hear from her head down as her legs folded cross, her arms resting straight on her knees.

"She's got a slightly different aura every time she does that move, you know," Lucas remarked.

"Sh!" Dawn quickly shot back quietly, "She's trying to concentrate."

"Lucas threw his eyebrows and hands up as he backed off of the battle quietly, letting Dawn do her work her own way.

The aura around Margaret began to pulse and grow brighter, her senses clearly spiking as her special attack and special defense capabilities rose, a new advantage in battling creeping out of her. Until she suddenly hit the ground, coughing, gasping and struggling to stay upright before collapsing again.

Dawn jumped back almost instinctively for a moment before rushing to Margaret's side when she began to feel incredibly uneasy and sick as well, backing away again as she, like Margaret before her, heaved for air. Margaret's aura had completely dissipated, and though she was on her feet, her eyes were reddened and she was breathing with tremendous difficulty returned to her original state before her Calm Mind raised her awareness and alertness.

"Lucas," Dawn managed between heavy breaths, "What in the hell was—"

"This thing knows Clear Smog," Lucas said with a shocked gasp. "The shocking toxicity of the gas causes acute pain that damages the target and removes all power changes," he read from his Pokedex as he scanned the Pokemon, "It completely negated the effects of that Calm Mind!"

"A clever little one, aren't you?" Dawn smiled, "We're gonna be a great team," she said with new energy and determination, "I know it."

Lucas quietly watched with a bit of happiness from the side. He wanted to take part in the battle himself. He wanted to take part in every battle he saw, but now, more than ever, he knew that it was important that Dawn fight this battle herself. She needed to convince a Shellos that strong about her abilities as a trainer by herself—his involvement would only confuse and scare it into aggressive attacking or cause it to run away.

The Shellos then retreated a bit into its shell-like structure, the spikes on its shells firing a bit higher and seemingly glossing over with a newer, harder coat of material. "Hmph, Harden, huh? Margaret, use Confusion!" Dawn confidently said.

Margaret, who was standing up, fluid and ready to dodge and weave for attacks suddenly froze stiff in her place, staring down the black, yellow-fluorescent-ringed eyes of the Shellos in front of her, a dead, piercing gaze. The Shellos was clearly giving in, a dreadful dizziness coming over the Sea-Slug Pokemon as it wavered and slanted heavily to the left, moving its body in haphazard but fluid motions as it struggled to maintain its focus and balance all while Margaret extended her crushing psychic attack deep into its mind, scrambling its thoughts completely.

"Great job, Margaret!" Dawn nodded with excitement. Margaret resumed her previous attack position, moving her focus off of the Shellos' mind, but the Shellos still seemed dazed, awake and conscious but wholly unable to direct its actions and control what it was doing.

"It's confused," Lucas and Dawn said at the same time with a smile. The Shellos inched forward a bit, building up a charge of water in its mouth into a sphere, pointing it directly in Margaret's direction.

"Roll left and dodge this one, Margaret," Dawn advised, trying to get Margaret behind the cover of a small rock before the attack would hit, though she knew that water and grass attacks could often break through rocks to meet their targets.

The attack didn't come at all. The completely dazed and confused little Shellos fired the water gun attack directly into the ground in front of itself, eating the brunt of the splash damage created by the water-type attack, and though it wasn't effective, it only exacerbated its confused and weak state as it slouched over and lay on the ground a bit before getting back into a somewhat upright position. "Now's my chance," Dawn said to herself as she pulled an empty Pokeball from her belt, throwing it at the Shellos.

The red and white ball bounced off of the little Pokemon, activating a red beam that converted the Pokemon into an energy form that was transported into the ball as it fell to the ground. It sat upright in the grass, the night sky's moon lightly glinting off of its smooth, red surface. One shake. Two shakes.

The ball shattered into a powdery set of energy and fragments as the Shellos popped out, shaking itself and firing off a Mud-Slap immediately at Margaret before the Meditite or Dawn could even react. The brown, watery sludge slammed into Margaret, splashing the earthy muck-ball into her eyes.

Margaret began using her extrasensory input to orient herself and find her target, but with her vision gone and Hazel completely ineffective against the Shellos, Dawn knew that she was on her last legs and out of options. _"Come on, Dawn, think quickly. Lucas is watching,"_ she frantically thought to herself as she resorted to her best option, but certainly not her favorite. "Margaret, I need you to hit one more Confusion attack. Do your best. Just try," she calmly instructed, knowing full well that the attack might miss the target. Dawn pulled out another fresh Pokeball, waiting until Margaret suddenly froze again, locking onto to target what psychic energy she could feel coming from Shellos just when Dawn threw the Pokeball before the Shellos could react or fire back at the attack.

The ball fell on the ground, absorbing the Shellos into its interior again. One shake. Two shakes. _"Come on, come on, I can't count on one more shot,"_ Dawn worriedly thought as her hands went to her face, her expression intense and anxious as Lucas smiled playfully at her complete immersion in the process. Three shakes. CLICK. The ball shut. The Shellos was caught.

"I… I—"

"Caught it," Lucas finished proudly. "You did it, Dawn," he happily said as he walked to her side again, picking up the captured Shellos' Pokeball along the way and placing it gently in her hands. "What are you going to name it?"

"Hm… I don't know. Margaret, you read this thing's mind during that Confusion attack, right?"

Margaret nodded.

"So, uh," Dawn awkwardly started, "Would it be weird if I named, uh, it Verna? Or is it a-?"

Margaret shook her head before Dawn could finish the second part.

"Alright, Verna it is, then. Thank you, Margaret, I'm sure you and Hazel can meet Verna once she's all healed up, okay?" she assured as she recalled the little Meditite.

Dawn stored both Pokeballs in the side pocket her bag before she slung the strap over her shoulder before turning to Lucas with a bright smile. "What's the pretty grin for?" he asked, grinning back at her.

"We both have three Pokemon now…" she suggestively trailed.

"Oh, you want a battle?" he smirked back.

" _You_ want a battle too, don't you?" she pressed, knowing his tendency to want to battle very well at this point.

"Oh you bet I do, but," he said a bit sadly, looking at the height of the moon and the forest path around them, "I'm not sure this is the best time or place. Maybe tomorrow…?" he asked as he led the tone of the end of his sentence up sharply.

"I'm holding you accountable to that, Lukey," she giggled as she pushed his chest playfully.

"My goodness Dawn that was terrible," he laughed as Dawn trekked on into the forest ahead of him as he followed behind, kicking rocks haphazardly on the trial, "I mean, my name's _already_ two syllables: why would you make a weird nickname like that?" he asked as he wrapped an arm endearingly around her, pulling suddenly backward into him as she let out a little yelp in surprise before realizing she was fine as she felt herself bump into him.

It didn't take too long for them to finally trek far enough into the route where they were at Eterna Forest's entrance. The expanse of the dense, evergreen forest spanned out right in front of them. To their left and right, the route seemed completely visible, bright and full of colorful vibrancy, but beyond the dark green pine needles and wood in front of them, there seemed an intense, mysterious presence.

"A-are you sure we have to go through here?" Dawn somewhat nervously asked, looking at a wooden sign that gave multiple warnings. "That sign says that people _died_ here before. Can't we just take another way around?"

"Dawn, stupid people find a way to get themselves killed _all_ the time, but that doesn't mean anything for us," Lucas reassured, "Besides, we have a map and compass, and in the _worst_ case, I can send out Galahad to scout the route ahead of us." Lucas popped the Raptor Pokemon's Pokeball as he sent the creature into the air in front of them, allowing for the bird's keen night-vision and agility to scout and scan the area directly in front of them before circling back to them occasionally. Lucas and Dawn also quickly learned to let Hazel and Prometheus out of their Pokeballs as well, using the Monferno and the Charmleon's tail-flames to provide some illumination in the dark trail.

"How do you know where we're, uh, headed?" Dawn asked with a bit of worry in her voice as she tucked her arms closer to her body, her forearms slightly raised.

"There's only one path ahead of us for now, so we can't exactly get lost, even if we wanted," Lucas laughed back.

"Not reassuring," she pouted, but she didn't say much after as they trudged on into the dark. But after a while of trudging through the forest's patchy moonlit path, even through the thick fir canopy, she decided it was worth asking one more question. "What's on the other side of this forest?"

"Eterna City, remember?"

"What's in Eterna?" she asked further as they approached a large meander in the path that curved back into the direction they came from and a fork in the path further along the meander, slowing both of their enthusiasm to progress any further into the thick woods.

"A lot of things, really. First and foremost: I have to beat Gardenia's gym and get that badge, but it's also the oldest modern settlement in Sinnoh. There's a mix of architecture from before and after Galarian conquest. You can know the history of Sinnoh with one picture of that town. Or so they said in our history books: I've never been there myself, so I wouldn't know," he shrugged with a sheepish smile. "You want to take a break," he said, putting his hands on his knees as he stooped over to catch his breath.

"Hm, it's about damn time," she sighed, out of breath alongside him. "I'm not even sure if I can set up a tent right now."

"Have a rest. I'll do it," he kindly said with a smirk hidden by the darkness, placing a hand on her shoulder. She returned his smile with an exhausted but appreciative look as she took a seat on a fallen log not far from the path.

Lucas simply reached into his bag, pulled out a small cube, pressed a button, and threw it out squarely onto a small open patch of short grass in front of him, not far from the path but certainly free from the commotion of a passersby. The box popped, releasing white energy the same way Pokeballs did, but instead of a Pokemon popping out, a fully set-up tent, staked in and firmly anchored in the ground, took shape on the ground.

Dawn stood up from her resting spot, gaping. "That was it? Why didn't you tell me?" she said, throwing her hands up in confusion.

"I _did_ tell you. Way back on the night you stayed over at my house, I told you that this porta-box could carry a tent like a Pokeball carries a Pokemon, remember?" he laughed as he opened the flap to throw his backpack inside.

"No, I don't," Dawn shrugged as she threw her items in not long after. "But more importantly, I'm hungry," she said with pitiful eyes, knowing neither of them could get rest just yet.

"Well, you're high-maintenance girl, aren't you?" he chuckled as he beckoned Prometheus and Hazel, who were still on the side of the path.

"Excuse me, I'm _what_ now?" Dawn sternly said with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, you know I'm joking, Dawn," he smiled half-nervously before giving her a small kiss. "Lay down for a bit, maybe set your sleeping bag up. Hazel, Prometheus, and I will get a fire and dinner ready in no time," he promised.

"Alright," she nodded as she opened the tent flap before turning around, "Don't… go anywhere, okay? It's kind of… creepy here," she requested before she slipped inside.

"You got it, Dawn," he affirmed before flattening his lips and widening his eyes as he amusedly thought to himself. _"Wait till she finds out about some of the stories about Eterna Forest. Especially the Old Chateau."_

Not long after Lucas set up the fire, the two finished dinner, cleaned up their supplies for the next day, and made a quick change of clothes before Lucas went and got some more wood to throw in the fire. "You're not going to put it out?" Dawn asked as she slid over her shirt as she walked out.

"Nope, it'll attract the bug-types around here and burn 'em to a crisp while we sleep," he proudly said.

"Gee, how sweet," she replied with a bland expression as she playfully rolled her eyes.

"Well, if you want all the creepy crawlies to share the sleeping bag with you I can arrange for that," he joked back.

"Stop that!" she shuddered as she pictured what he said, "Ugh, now I feel all uncomfortable," she said with a hint of disgust.

They both sat down on their sleeping bags, which they placed above the smooth polyester floor of the blue tent. "Well, that's why I have the fire outside, so you won't _actually_ feel uncomfortable," he smiled. "Say, have you heard that this forest is haunted?"

"H-haunted?" she asked with a tone of abject fear. "No."

"Well, legend has it that the Old Chateau near the other end of the forest has an old man who died here when a traveler on this path robbed and killed him, so they say he draws in weary travelers at night for a rest in his Chateau and kills them before they can escape," Lucas said in a devious voice.

Dawn's look of fear persisted, her mouth gaping before she noticed a slight look of amusement in Lucas' face when her expression shifted to complete annoyance. "Quit trying to scare me, ya liar!" she pouted as she threw a pillow at him, which he caught and gently placed back on her sleeping bag.

"I'm not trying to!" he protested back as he slid inside his sleeping bag's cover. "Well, I am, I won't lie," he said from inside, "but what I said was true. There _is_ an Old Chateau, and the legend _is_ true."

"No, it's not. It's just a legend," she shot back, "There is no creepy murderer old man around here," she said back, although the unsureness in her voice betrayed her real expression.

"Well, if _you_ say so, it _must_ be true," he laughed from inside. "We're gonna see it on the way out of the forest tomorrow, just so you know."

"We'll see it in the day when I won't be scared," she assured.

"But, what if we were walking along the forest," he said as he walked two fingers along Dawn's side as she slept, "and we ran into the old man?"

"Then," she said, turning around on her other side to face him, grabbing both his hands and pulling herself closer, "You're going to protect me."

"Yeah," he breathlessly said, "You've got me under a spell," he happily sighed.

"You're _mine_ ," she stated in a deep, mock-menacing tone before she giggled with bright eyes.

"I certainly am," Lucas nodded as he closed his eyes before giving her a kiss on the cheek, "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

The two drifted off not long after a bit more banter, but even in his sleep, Lucas' thoughts were no different than when he was wide awake. The gym battle. His dreams-his dream to become champion, his dreams that revealed things he didn't want to know every time he closed its eyes—all of it was woven into a bright tapestry with colors that both beckoned his eyes and blinded them all at once. Sleep was tormenting for him.

 **If it wasn't obvious, the next chapter is about Eterna City and the next Gym Battle he'll face up, but for those of you who remember, a lot actually happens in this part of the game that helps spurn the overall plot as well, so I hope y'all will come back for the next chapter (which I'll drop over the next month). As usual, anything you've got to say good or bad, happy or sad, I'll be glad to hear over PMs or reviews and I'll give you feedback or fixes for what you've said. Cheers!**


	23. Chapter 23: The Statue

**No, I'm not dead. Though I'm positive a good number of people wish I was. Anyway, it's been hard with college and whatnot. So for the few of you who have been waiting for the next chapter, you have my sincerest apologies for the delay. That being said, a good 2 chapters are already written and are just being edited and added too, so expect them soon!**

Chapter 23: The Statue

"How are you _still_ walking?" Dawn asked, out of breath as she trailed behind Lucas in the thick, shading growth of Eterna Forest. They were on their second day hiking in the forest at this point, and Dawn made it clear that she wasn't exactly having the time of her life. Several Caterpies and Dustoxes bothered her for a bit. But though she found it useful to test her newly caught Shellos against these petulant Pokemon, she wasn't exactly happy to be constantly trudging through them and the thick green that surrounded the barely visible path.

"Come on, Dawn," Lucas said, offering his hand for her to stop and get a rest on, "You can do this. Once we're out on the other side, you can have a nice _warm_ bed, I'll bring you a hot plate of pizza, a _cool_ drink of soda, and we can go to bed watching a movie."

"I definitely could use a little bit of all that," she said, following behind him again, "Right, but you and I are actually going to have to get through this forest, first," he smiled. They trudged slowly through the cold forest. Snow fell through the tree covering in some patches, and Dawn would gasp and point with delight at the occasional running of a Deerling and little Pokemon across the plain. An Abra would pop up on their trail before frightfully teleporting away leaving a smiling Dawn gasping at all of the little Pokemon they encountered.

"As tiring as it is to walk through here," she said in between in a breath, "It's definitely refreshing to see all these Pokemon here. I had no idea there could be so much… life in one place."

"One has to wonder, with so many prey Pokemon around, where are all of the predator Pokemon keeping?" Lucas said as he curiously looked at a few more different angles of the forest, somehow thinking he'd suddenly spot a lurking Pokemon on the hunt.

"Uh, no, Lucas. Nobody has to wonder that," Dawn pouted, "Just appreciate how beautiful this place is for a second," she said as she stopped, closed her eyes, and took a fresh breath of the crisp forest air around her while the buzzing of Nincadas and conversations between little Bunearies could be heard around her. She sat down on a fallen log. "Please, can we take a small break?" she sweetly asked as she widened her eyes and slightly pushed out her bottom lip, "For me?"

"Alright," Lucas nodded as he slung down his backpack and sat next to her, scooting a bit closer. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"What do you have?" she asked with a bright smile.

"Uh, some energy bars. An apple. That's about it," he sighed in defeat.

"Um, I'll have the apple," she said, as she reached into his bag and fished out the fruit, quickly taking a bite as she let out an "Mmmm," of relief, collapsing into Lucas' lap next to her as she kept munching.

Lucas didn't want to move or disturb her one bit. He simply stroked her dark brownish-auburn hair. The light twinkled and glimmered through the waving branches of some of the trees, creating a collage of shadows and patches of light on the forest floor that spanned over the small shrubs and trodden paths as far as the eyes could see. He tried following out those paths, seeing where they would lead, his focus slowly creeping to the edge of his vision where he couldn't see much but a dark expanse dotted with patches of yellow with faint dust and movement. It was strangely dizzying, looking that far ahead. He still tried. He tried to look ahead anyway. He wanted to know what could be in the shadows on the path. There was nothing there. He knew that, but something in the back of his mind pressed him to confirm it. He wanted to know everything that his eye could touch.

He shook his head in defeat as he let his eyes relax for a moment and readjust before he continued to stroke Dawn's hair gently. "Dawn?"

"Mhm," she said with her mouth full.

"I… I'm not sure if this is the best time or place to ask this, or even if I should ever ask this, but… about…" he paused as he carefully thought his next words through as Dawn sat up with a more serious, empathetic expression on her face.

"What is it?" she softly said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing's wrong. But I wanted to know… about what it is that's between you and Valerie. And I don't mean just her, I mean her whole, uh, entourage. What's going on between you guys?"

"It isn't that important," she brushed off with a smile, "All that matters is that _you,_ " she emphasized as she put a finger on his chest, "Don't do something to them because of me. I don't want you to be disturbed or enraged by them just because of what they feel about me; that doesn't make much sense, and I don't want you to have to go through anything because of it."

"No, Dawn, you don't understand. I can't just… turn off my reactions. I wish to Arceus I could, but I can't."

Dawn's expression grew sadder, "But you promised me—"

"When I did, things were different," he calmly said as he held her hand, gently squeezing it, "You know how I feel about you now. I know how you feel about me. You know _why_ I can't let you get berated like that and just watch." He took a deep breath, "And most importantly, this _isn't_ just about you anymore. Valerie's sister is a Galactic _Commander_ , and the moment we stormed Valley Windworks and forced her to bail, my hands were dipped in poison as yours."

Dawn's face seemed to reflect one of worry, "No, no, Lucas. This—this isn't your fight. There _is_ no fight. You need two people to make a fight, if we don't hit back, they'll stop."

"When the other person doesn't hit back it's not called a fight: it's called a slaughter. Dawn, I _want_ to do what you're telling me to do. I'm sorry for the side of myself I showed you that day, and I hope that rage… that anger that I felt then never comes to me again. But I'm not a robot. I need a _reason_ to do what I do, and in that moment, I wanted to protect you, so I eliminated what I felt was a threat. You want me to hold back, but if you never tell me why, if you can't trust me to know—"

"It's not that I don't trust you enough, Lucas," she said as she lowered her head silently in the serenity of the forest. "I don't want to see you like what you were then. I didn't know if I was looking at the same person, Lucas. Maybe you don't know this, but your anger, it's something else. It is not you _at_ all," she took a deep sigh before speaking again as she lifted her gaze up to him, "I'll tell you the truth, but you have to _promise_ me that you won't go all out against them again, no matter _what_ they do."

He nodded seriously, "I promise."

"No, I don't believe you. Pinky promise," she insisted, holding out her pinky as he interlocked his with hers.

"It's a promise," he smiled. "But to tell you the truth, we know they've probably got ties to Team Galactic. If it ever comes to them standing in the same criminal position as Commander Mars, well, at a certain point we have to do the right thing. And the right thing might be more violent than either us of might want to witness, but it doesn't change the fact that it'll have to be done."

"It won't come to that," she said before she pressed her lips together, "All of this… mess with Galactic should pass over anyway," she took a pause, "I don't know if it will. But I hope it does. It's not fair if it doesn't. We never left Twinleaf together to be caught up in the crosshairs of a dangerous gang of criminals trying to do… Arceus knows what they want to do anyway. I don't know what to do. I don't even know what to _think,_ or where to start. Do we give up trying to become Champion and Top Coordinator and do our best to stop them now? Or are we just… overthinking things?"

"Well, the first step is for you to tell me who Valerie and Lucille are," he suggested softly. "I'm sure that if we put ourselves to it, there isn't a problem that you, Barry, Alyssa, and I can't take on. But either way, I care about you, and I think I should know why those girls are always firing at you."

"Well, you've probably noticed by now, but whatever is between us started before I moved here," she started.

"In Kanto?"

"Yeah, in Kanto. I told you my parents were doctors. Well, they, uh, discovered a medical malpractice racket. The insurance companies and some doctors conspired to provide cheaper medication and fake placebo treatments at a full price to unwitting patients, and they even operated on already dead bodies but didn't tell the families of the patients, so they could squeeze some cash out of them for 'treatment'," she began with a painful expression, struggling to say the words.

Lucas looked at her aghast. He'd heard of human beings doing terrible things to other human beings. War. Genocides. Revolutions. But this… this was something more inherently morbid, something that made his mind lurch and want to grab hold of any beacon of hope that there was some good left in the world. "They… cheated the families of dead patients?" he weakly asked, fathoming what she said. He shuddered as he feared about his mother. _"But what about… mum?"_ he worriedly thought. _"No, no, this isn't commonplace, right? It can't be."_ "Dawn, does this stuff happen… everywhere?"

"No. I don't think so. A crime this big brings the harshest punishments, and that's exactly what happened. My parents reported this to the medical licensing board because they were so horrified. Even after they went through the whole paperwork and gave testimony to the board's council to investigate the matter, he and mom couldn't sleep at night sometimes. They'd argue about what to do. If they should follow the investigation and try to pry open horrors around them, in their own workplace, perhaps through their own friends and colleagues, or if they should let the board do its job and stay the safe route."

"I'm guessing they didn't take the easy way out," Lucas said with a look of realization upon him.

"No, they didn't," Dawn said with a reminiscent smile, her eyes now glistening and bloodshot as she held back tears. "They… uncovered a lot of crimes. A lot of criminals. And as they feared, some were friends, some were colleagues. They were about to end the lives of the people they thought were their allies. Mom and Dad knew that what they did put themselves and our future as a family at risk. Dad asked his elder brother what to do, and Professor Rowan told them they had to do the right thing. Eventually, a long list of doctors, seniors and new ones alike, and another long list of insurance officials and executives appeared before the court with a plethora of lawsuits behind them."

"That's good. Those monsters got what they deserved."

Dawn grimaced before she continued, shutting her eyes tightly as her voice weakened. "I wish I could say that, Lucas. The medical board revoked most of their practicing licenses quickly, but that was all that really happened."

"What?!" he said, slightly enraged and horrifyingly confused. "They're… _murderers._ They chose to let patients _die_ and lie about their deaths to innocent families! Didn't they go to jail? I _know_ the procedure for these things, Dawn. It should have ended them for life."

"These people… they weren't poor criminals Lucas. Between them, they had several billion dollars. They knew who was behind their problems, their downfall. They knew what they had to do," she weakly managed to say as her voice wavered even further. "A week later… I-I saw my parents for the last time." She began speaking with even more difficulty as her sniffling filled the sudden, blanketing silence of the forest as Lucas put his arms around her, pulling her in gently as he patted her back.

"I'm sorry, Dawn," he said as he closed his eyes. "I-I'll never know how you feel. That kind of pain, that kind of loss, I'll never experience it. But I can do my best to walk you through it," he assured as he gently pulled her out of the hug and set her upright as he held her face, delicately wiping away tears as she simply held his gaze with a smile that tried to burgeon through the pain in her frown. "That's a bit better," he said before he leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Can I ask a question?"

"Sure," she croaked back before clearing her throat and sniffling a bit.

"I don't want to sound rude, or maybe my memory is crappier than I give it credit for, but I remember you telling me that… Team Rocket killed your parents, that your parents got involved in stopping them and…" he trailed, not wanting to finish his sentence.

"I did," she admitted.

"Then…" he trailed again. He certainly didn't want to accuse her of lying.

"What I told you that day, it was what I believed when I was a girl. That's what they said in court: that my parents got involved with Team Rocket and were killed because of it. And it seemed to work. They put two people in jail, and I… quietly believed that's what happened to them." She paused as she looked up with an air of slight confidence and willpower, "But I'm not a girl anymore. I know the truth. A leader of Team Rocket was involved in this medical crime, and you can hire a gun to do your dirty work. Those two people were just that: hired Team Rocket guns to kill my parents. They got out of their sentences early, too, not long before all of the cases and articles about the people Mom and Dad turned in suddenly disappeared. I was seventeen then, and that's when Rowan took me to Sinnoh because he feared they'd come for me. I guess they can say whatever they want to in court, but _I_ know what happened to my parents," she grimly said.

Lucas held her tenderly with a soft smile, a slight look of pride as he gazed at her. "You're a strong woman, Dawn," he whispered to her, "I don't know many people who could've… suffered through what you did, much less come outstanding a little taller than they used to. I bet your mum and dad would be proud to see their daughter now."

She squeezed his hand again, "Thank you," she smiled. "It was hard for me," she paused to look up at him, "I know you understand what it's like, too," she empathetically said. "But… for a while, I didn't think I could make it. Mum and Dad turned in people who they were friends with, people whose kids _I_ was friends with. After they died, well, I lost everything I had. I didn't have any money. I still went to private school because I knew I had to at least graduate if I wanted to edge out a living… I was lost for what to do after that."

"You didn't think about college?"

"I did. I did. But… college was something I couldn't afford. Who would pay for it? I-I was barely living off of what my parents left for me. I didn't have a leg to stand on before Rowan helped me out, and in that time, I saw a world that I thought was safe, that I thought would protect me when I needed it most, wither away."

There was a silence the filled the gap as she found words for what to say next. Lucas didn't mind the way, processing what she said and trying to understand the sheer complexity of the girl next to him, how much she'd been through and where she'd come from. "I-f you want to talk about this later, we can—"

"No, you were right. You deserve to know," she said plainly, "Valerie, Lucille… they were my—well I wouldn't say we were close or anything, but we were kind of friends. They were still spenders and obnoxious back then, so I still kept some distance, but they had nothing out for me. Nobody did. But after some of their parents were put on trial… everything changed. They came after me, specifically. I lost everything I loved, and when they saw I was weak, they took it out on me even more," she sighed again, staring at the floor, barely moving her lips when she spoke. "You want to know why I don't fight back against them?"

A gentle breeze lightly whistles through the treetops.

She turned to face him, "Because… they're not just being cruel for the sake of being cruel. At one time, their worlds were threatened to be ripped apart like mine, too. Whereas their parent's connections and ruthlessness held them together, my parents gave themselves up. So while they kept growing in their sheltered, catering world, I was forced to learn to be a better person. I… grew up rich, Lucas. Just like they did. I hate to say it, but there was probably a time when I was _like_ them. But what my parents uncovered… it changed my course and cemented theirs, that's all. I can't attack them for that."

Lucas let his neck fall back as he looked up at the wavy trees and the rustling leaves above him, spotting an empty nest neatly fixed on a firm branch. "You're wrong, Dawn," he painfully said, "You told me that now you're a woman, and now you see harsh truths for what they are, and I think you should do the same here," he carefully treated as Dawn gave him a blank expression.

"What do you mean? Are you… saying I'm lying to you about them?"

"No." He grabbed both of her hands, "Every person has an opportunity to change throughout their lives, with or without a sudden force that throws them into that change. They never took it."

"They didn't go through what I did. They didn't experience… any real pain that transformed them. I can't blame them for that."

"And that's exactly what I'm saying. You don't need pain or experience to transform you into a better person. You need to _want_ to be a better human being. You wanted it. They didn't. _I_ can see that difference between you and them, so why can't you?" Dawn was silent. "You're giving them a virtue of humanity and you're offering them mercy that I doubt they have or even deserve," he firmly pressed, "You need to stand up for yourself. You stood up with me when we fought Galactic. You never ran away and you stood strong for what you believed in, so why are you giving in to them when they hurl abuses like that?"

"They are criminals, and this is personal. I can't treat them the same way."

"I would."

" _No_ , no. That's exactly what I'm afraid of, Lucas. You're pulling the same force you use on Galactic on something that isn't. It's not the kind of force you should ever use on another human being. They're not criminals, so we should still give them some basic human decency, and violence isn't the way to make a peaceful solution."

"Don't you think this dragged on for long enough? Aren't you fed up that they're shielded from consequences? What we need is a _permanent_ solution, not a _peaceful_ one."

"No," she firmly said, "You're wrong. They haven't hurt me. They haven't hurt you. Until then, we'll try to find a peaceful solution."

"They _did_ hurt you Dawn. They're not treating _you_ with any humanity, so why are you being so nice to them? Every time they laugh at you, every time they try to take away what you earned just so they can snigger and find some pathetic amusement to cover up the failures they are, don't you get angry? Can't you feel the heat boiling in you to do what's right?" he asked more curiously than he had the previous questions. It was clear that he'd given up on telling her what to do, and was now more invested in finding out why she did what she did.

"You told me my parents would be proud if they saw me now. Do you think they would still be proud if they saw me lashing out and seeking retribution for every wrong done to me? I learned to sleep at night, even knowing that someone took my parents away from me. I'm not going to hunting for anyone, especially someone like Valerie who can obstruct but never stop me," she confidently said.

"Don't you want to fight—"

"Not every problem can be solved by fighting it away, Lucas!" Dawn curtly asserted, her anger and annoyance revealing themselves in her harsh tone briefly. "You have to make hard compromises sometimes, and learn to ignore what won't change. Valerie won't change. I've chosen to ignore her, and to be honest, you should, too. Letting out your hatred onto them, your fury, even though I know inside you care about me…" she trailed as she gently slid her hand down his cheek, "It's wrong. Ask yourself," she continued placing her finger over his heart, "If we stay out of Valerie and her entourage's way until they actually pose a threat to us or someone else, what have we got to lose, huh?"

"I don't know if I agree with you yet," he sighed in defeat, knowing that there was a fundamental rift between how they thought that kept them from agreeing, "But for you, I'll hold out against them," he solemnly said before standing up. "I'm sorry I had to drag you through all of this, but if I never knew, we'd probably be both dragging ourselves through this at a far less opportune time."

Dawn rose to stand up next to him, "I don't mind talking about this," she smiled, "You need to know me, and I need to know you if we're ever going to get anywhere on our journeys together, right? I think—"

"HELP!" a feminine voice screamed through the woods, startling both Lucas and Dawn as they looked up and down the path they were just on. "ANYBODY! I'M LOST!" the voice yelled again while Lucas and Dawn fell dead silent to try to pinpoint a location for the scream.

"That way," Lucas gruffly said, taking off down the path in the direction of the scream as Dawn tailed nervously right behind him, unable to speak from the blood-curdling and desperate calls for help.

There was one more shout for help, it felt louder than the previous two, and the direction it came from suddenly was more pronounced: Lucas and Dawn had gotten very close, but the scream came from somewhere off of the path they'd walked on. "We'll have to go into the actual forest, now," Dawn somewhat uncomfortably said a Lucas bolted on ahead through the woods.

"Galahad, in the air!" Lucas ordered as he released the Staravia from its Pokeball, "See if you can spot someone from above, and then come back to me," he commanded as the Pokemon flapped beside before jetting off to a higher altitude.

"Hazel, go through the trees and follow her sound ahead of us," Dawn also ordered behind Lucas, releasing her Monferno to spring through the tall trees with ease as it chased the source of the call for help.

They ran through the thick wood for only 30 seconds before both Galahad and Prometheus darted back to Lucas and Dawn, each pointing and gesturing the two to head in the same direction. Lucas and Dawn quickly averted their course to the left where their Pokemon pointed. "Anyone out there?" Dawn called out as they followed Hazel and Galahad.

"YES!" a very enthusiastic and very relieved voice called back. "I-I need help!"

Lucas and Dawn pounced through a thicket into a small clearing in between massive trees where a tall girl stood somewhat worriedly and timidly, her hands together in front of her beside a large, round, pink Pokemon: a Chansey. Lucas and Dawn quickly rushed to her side, expecting a threat surrounding her as Galahad and Hazel dashed to their trainer's sides. "Are you alright?" Dawn asked. "What's wrong?"

"I… got lost in the woods here. We ran into some wild Pokemon, and they called on some of their friends. I-I didn't mean the poor things any harm, but then a whole colony of Weedles and Beedrills started chasing us. We ran away off the trail, and wandered for hours but even when we found the trail again we didn't know which way we headed. I d-didn't think I could make it out on my own, so I c-called for help. Thank you for coming," she very shyly said, clearly coming out of quite a bit of anxiety as her Chansey looked at the two trainers and simply gave them a cheerful, wide, grin.

"Well, you're safe now, Ms…" Lucas trailed.

"Oh, uh, you can just call me Cheryl. And you are?" she asked, turning to Dawn.

"I'm Dawn, and he's Lucas," she smiled back. "We're glad you're okay," she said as she caught her breath.

"I-I'm very sorry I pulled you guys away like this. You're all out of breath because of me. I hope—"

"Please, Cheryl, it's not your fault. Don't feel bad. If anything, we're happy we got here in time to help you," Dawn reassured with a smile. "Which way are you headed?"

"Um, to Eterna City. I'm supposed to run some errands with the lady who runs the Pokemon Center there," Cheryl explained. "I-I know you went out of your way to make sure I was okay, but can I-I ask you a favor?"

"Sure," Dawn replied with a smile, knowing what Cheryl would ask.

"Do you think you could lead me to the edge of the forest. I know it's a lot to ask, and if you don't want to, just leading me to the trail will be enough, but… after that wild Pokemon attack, I'm not too sure how safe I'll be after that, that's all," she said with a dejected and reserved tone.

"We're headed that way, too," Lucas answered, "You and your Chansey can come with us," he gestured with a kind smile. "We're both trainers, so I don't think any more pesky Pokemon will be harassing you until we leave this forest," he ensured.

"Well… if it wouldn't bother you two I suppose I'd like to. Thank you," she kindly said. "I-if we do run into any Pokemon and they hurt yours, though, I have heals to keep your Pokemon healthy," she said, opening a small satchel she had on her as she revealed revives and healing sprays.

"Oh, um, thank you," Dawn said. "You're very kind."

"Well, we should be heading off about now, and we can out of the forest by dusk," Lucas said, looking at his watch and then the map in his backpack.

"Right," Dawn nodded along with Cheryl, "Let's get going." The three quickly slung their bags around themselves and moved back through the woods and thickets from where Dawn and Lucas came, approaching the trail in a few minutes and resuming their journey through the lively forest.

"So, uh, what're you two here for in Eterna Forest. I-if you don't mind me asking," Cheryl politely said, tugging slightly on the strap of her satchel.

"I'm going to try to battle the Eterna City gym leader when we get out and Dawn is competing in the contest circuits," Lucas responded.

"Oh, you're _that_ Dawn. There was an article about you in the newspaper," Cheryl said a bit more brightly.

"Really?" Dawn asked with pleasant surprise.

"Yeah, it talked about how you were like a breath of fresh air for audiences and how you showed a lot of promise. Um, congratulations on the win, by the way," Cheryl said.

"W-well, thank you. I did my b-best, and I'm glad it turned out well," Dawn stammered, trying to contain her excitement as Lucas smiled at her as she held back a grin. "How about you, Cheryl? Where do you work?"

"I work at an herbal and berry apothecary. I'm actually headed to the Pokemon Center in Eterna to drop these off," she said, showing some Pecha Berries and some other fruits and herbs sorted together. "It ain't much, but it's honest work," she smiled.

They kept moving through the forest with Lucas giving the occasional glance at his map and delivering some instructions on where and how to go. Pokemon stopped them along the way, as they expected, and some of the little creatures even called on their buddies for help, trying to pummel them with numbers, although Lucas, Dawn, and Cheryl far overmatched them with their own Pokemon each time. The encounters with the wild Pokemon certainly slowed their progress, but they still kept their reasonable pace, chopping through the light greenish-brown trail that was fighting the growth of plants around it.

"Uh… what are those?" Dawn suddenly said, pointing in front of Lucas' feet.

"What are what?" Lucas said, turning around to see her before following her finger to see footprints in the wet trail before them.

"Footprints," Cheryl softly said, confused as to why Dawn was so surprised, "The soil _is_ a little wet. Somebody must've just been here before us."

"Oh, uh, duh," Dawn shrugged, her nervousness apparent to Lucas, who was keen to point out to the two of them that if they looked through the clearance in the trees there was a building visible.

"Oh look over there, a chateau!" he remarked, shooting Dawn a playfully cruel look as she returned an annoyed glare.

"Oh, the Old Chateau," Cheryl ominously said, "I've heard that it's haunted by an old man who was murdered," she said, lowering her tone.

"Yeah, did you know legend says he lures in traveler's to kill them?"

"He also has a shape-shifting Gengar that helps fool travelers into walking into the home," Cheryl said, piling onto the conversation that Dawn couldn't wait to get over with.

"Yeah… let's go, let's get going," Dawn quickly said, steaming ahead in front of Lucas and Cheryl, quickly walking over the footprints on the trail. Lucas and Cheryl quickly followed, and it wasn't long after that a trail on the side opened up, leading to a small, curved path that went into a looming, wooden building.

Archaic, gothic columns and furious gargoyles lined the front edge of a massive manor that overlooked grimly on the forest around it, its black walls and dust-laden edges seemingly sucking the light out gaps in the trees near it as it fought form being reclaimed by the nature that bordered it. Pillars of glaring Rhydons lined the path that went up to the grand, moss-covered steps of the manner.

"Someone… went in there," Dawn said with a shiver before looking to Lucas for some comfort.

"Jeez, this thing is decrepit," Lucas said, looking at the deteriorating structures that surrounding the giant manor.

"Do you think this person was… lured in by the old man?" Cheryl worriedly asked, giving a scared look at Dawn before turning to Lucas.

"Psht, come on, guys, there's no such thing as…" he trailed, his face blanched white as he looked toward the entrance where the grand mahogany doors once stood closed. "Um, guys," he said, subtly directing them toward a figure at the entrance.

"Oh… oh my goodness," Dawn said in complete fear as she looked at an aged, gray-haired man in a black suit loom over them from the entrance of the house from the top of the stairs that led to the door. "H-he's real," she shuddered as she took a few steps back, "Come on, can we please leave," she pleaded, tugging on Lucas shirt gently as he and Cheryl quickly followed her anxious wish to leave the place, all the while looking back at the piercing, cold gaze of the old man who seemed to not move at all save for the rotation of his head one plane as it traversed to follow their exit from his view. They silently turned their backs and shuffled away, leaving the creaking noises of old wood behind them.

"He's… terrifying," Dawn breathlessly said as the sped away. "I thought you said he was just a part of a legend?"

"Well, apparently he's real," Lucas said, hiding his amusement with Dawn's absolute fear of this particular Chateau and the legend behind it.

"I think it's his cold, menacing stare," Cheryl said, "I-it reminds of me of those Galactic goons. It's why I have to leave Chansey out of her Pokeball all the time these days, I'm afraid that they might try to hurt me or somebody around me. I've seen them try to steal Pokemon from a friend of mine once. She… fended them off, but barely. A nearby group of trainers had to use their Pokemon, too," she said with a tone of more genuine and deep-seated worry than what any of them had heard.

"…Where was this?" Lucas asked, a bit curious as to why Galactic was hunting innocent people, remembering how Arthur told him to keep tactics on their activities.

"It was outside our Pokemon Apothecary where I work. They wanted her Ralts," she explained softly.

"Her Ralts?" Dawn asked, shooting a discreet glance at Lucas, noting that it was a strong psychic-type Pokemon.

"Yeah, they didn't get it, though. They ran away after a good paddling," she said as they began to see a bright light source at the edge of their path.

"What about the police, didn't you call them?" Lucas asked.

"We did… but nobody showed up," she sadly answered.

 _"_ _It's becoming clearer and clearer. We… might not be able to expect anyone with authority to help us to beat down Galactic,"_ Lucas thought.

"Hey, is that… light ahead?" Dawn asked, pointing to the light that was becoming brighter.

"Yeah, it is!" Cheryl excitedly said, "Looks like we're finally going to get out of the forest," she smiled. "Um, thank you two, for everything. You didn't have to help me, but you really went out of your way to be so kind to me and my Chansey," she gently thanked them both.

"Oh, you don't need to keep thanking us, Cheryl."

"Please, accept this gift," she smiled at the two of them, reaching into her bag to pull out a small bell, "It's a Soothe Bell. I-it'll help make the Pokemon you capture a lot calmer and friendlier. I'm n-not sure if it's something you want, but I think it might be helpful for you," she said as she placed the bell in Lucas' open palm.

"Oh, you don't have to, please," he smiled back.

"No, no, it's a small trinket of my thanks. I'll be on my way, thank you for all your help."

"Well, you still have to go through the rest of Route 205 to get to Eterna City. You can still stick with us if you don't feel safe," Dawn kindly insisted.

"Oh no, I'm staying at a friend's house on Route 205 actually. It's not far from here, actually, so I'm sure that I can find my way there without much trouble," she chuckled. "I'll see you around!" she said as she waved back to them.

"See you later, Cheryl!" Lucas and Dawn said as they waved back before giving each other a brief smile before they headed out into the lightly warm, breezy air that coursed ahead in the second half of Route 205.

"A bit more of a trek and we're into Eterna," Lucas said with a satisfied smile to Dawn, "And we've just got to cross the beautiful Eterna River to get there," he said, gesturing to the span of yet another wonderful scenery of Sinnohan nature before them.

Ahead, Dawn could see the mountains and rocky hills on her right side as ahead of her a span of grass and lush vegetation bordered the banks of a swift, flowing river. A small bridge joined both ends, held by sturdy wooden poles mounted by sturdy wooden planks above the lapping currents of the water below, small cracks between the boards that held it together. Old and young men alike had cargo jackets and baseball caps on, sitting on the bank with boxes and buckets by their side as they cast their lines into the tumultuous blue beneath, yanking the unfortunately curious Magikarp in the river.

"Shall we get going?" she asked as she peered past the river onto the other bank where she could see the skyline pierced by buildings and edifices, a city rising up from the ground surrounded by the enduring mountains and the withering river around it, a city that was built on endurance and growth like the land around it.

"I was about to ask the same thing," Lucas said with a short smile as the two made their way across the long bridge, the creaking wooden boards greeting them as they crossed the splashing river beneath them, walking into Eterna City. "I've actually never been here before," he said as he gazed around with Dawn all around him, admiring the brick buildings and classic industrial architecture with soot on walls and mossed sides that were both fresh and worn from the rainy climate.

"Really?" she asked, cocking her head back in disbelief, "I thought you'd been everywhere in Sinnoh."

"Almost, but I've never had to go here, so I never did. Barry did though, I think it was for a trip he took with his track team a couple of years ago," he remembered, "And he also wouldn't shut up about it for a few days," he chuckled, "He said he met a cute girl here, and the rest of us had to convince him that someone pretty he knew for a day wasn't 'The One'."

Buildings and brick shops sprawled all around them spanning to their left and right in the long town while leaving some patches of grass and greenery to beautify the old city here and there. Bike stands were numerous throughout the entirety of their vision, beside nearly house, shop, and building along with long, straight pathways that facilitated high volumes of pedestrian traffic in a disciplined manner beside the aged, tar roads.

They entered in the middle portion of the town, massive brick apartment buildings stretching to their left and right as a massive, blue, pillar-shaped building with a dome on tope surrounded by a bright, golden yellow ring with antennas protruding from the frill of the dome overlooked the city, a dark shadow cast on parts of the town behind its bright, glinting surface. The glare on it was a bit strong, obscuring any even lettering or title, if there even was any, on the building as Lucas and Dawn squinted at it, both shrugging to each other in futile attempts to find out what the building was for exactly. "What do you think it is?"

"My guess is as good as yours," Dawn said back, "It doesn't have a name or anything on it. Weird," she shrugged. "What do you want to do next," she asked, not sure where to go once they'd reached Eterna City.

"I… don't exactly know. I guess we'll have to know where the Gym and Pokemon Centers are, first. After some practice with Barry, I guess I'll have to battle Gardenia," he speculatively said. "How does that sound to you?"

"Great! Just a couple of suggestions," she said with an excited grin.

"While we're looking for the Gym and the Pokemon Center, what do you say we take a sweet little walk around town?" she asked softly, gripping his arm shortly.

"And does the sweet little walk around town seem to have a romantic air to it? Or is it just me?"

"It's just you," she playfully replied.

"Done," he happily agreed, "And what's your second suggestion?"

"Nothing," she said suggestively, her expression changing a bit, "It's just that, you know, you're always battling Barry for practice…"

"Yeah," he nodded, "It's great for the both of us. Well, not like we have much of a choice, but we've each got three Pokemon and the same high-caliber hard-hitting mentality. Why are you bringing that up though?"

Dawn gave a wide-eyed blank stare for a bit, blinking a bit in between in disbelief. "I wonder who _else_ has three Pokemon and just as much experience training as you two… If _only_ there was someone who you could also prac—"

"Okay, okay," Lucas guiltily said, gesturing her to stop before somebody around them got the impression that they were fighting, "I _do_ owe you a battle."

"Mhm," she authoritatively said.

"We'll battle after I heal my Pokemon up, though. Now that I think about it, your Pokemon need a heal, too," he suggested.

"Alright. But you _promised_ me," she sternly insisted.

"I promise, okay? Now let's get going," he said with a gentle smile, "Or we'll never find the gym or the Pokemon Center," he insisted as he urged the pair to move to a pathway on their left, simply to see if he could quell his curiosity as to what the massive blue building was along the way, first.

Lucas placed his arm around Dawn, as he always did when they walked together, only now, he didn't have to think about it. It just happened and she'd move closer until their shoulders touched as they moved along. He gazed out into the heart of the city, beating with life as people clopped about on the brick and tar floors for the bustling weekend afternoon, the smell of delicious foods from restaurants wafting from every other corner. They'd reached the top-left portion of the town, a corner where the mountains blocked any further expansion of Eterna to the Northwest, where the towering blue building with a flying-saucer like top stood watch from the Northern border of town as Lucas looked up at it.

"It's… a strange building for sure. Everything else here is old, archaic, bricked and smothered in a layer of soot, but this… is new. Polished. Steel. It isn't a natural growth," he muttered so just Dawn could here.

"So what? Maybe they're just modernizing, right? All-new office buildings are made by a whack architect these days," Dawn giggled back, shrugging off possibility of anything being wrong.

"But even the craziest architect wouldn't put a flying saucer with antennas on top of a building, unless there was a powerful functional need for such design…" he continued to muse, "But then again, maybe you're right," he shrugged as he saw people dressed in formal and lab attire enter and exit the small courtyard that surrounded the building, bordered by a thick hedge of finely cut shrubs and bush that seemed to reveal no real entry into the compound, courtyard, or building.

"I'm sure you can ask Barry or Gardenia what it is, right?"

"Yeah, I guess I will," he agreed, leading them back onto their path as they moved along the northern border of the city to the east, hoping to walk the perimeter of the town where they could get a view of its entirety before moving inside.

"How… long do you think it would take for me to become Champion? Or you to become Top Coordinator, for that matter," he asked Dawn with a mild look of contemplation.

"Well, the Grand Festival and League Tournament happen right next to each other. So I'd suppose we'll be ready to take on the league either this year or the next, but why do you ask?"

"It's just that—"

"HEY!" an excited, intense voice called out right behind Lucas, startling him as a familiar collision with him resulted a short moment later. "Ow!" Barry and Lucas said, rubbing their heads as both Dawn and Alyssa looked at the two boys and then at each other with total pity.

"Dammit Barry, have you _ever_ learned to stop?"

"No, it's why I'm always ahead of you," he laughed. "Where are you headed?" he happily said before giving Lucas a brief hug so he could whisper in his ear, "I see you and Dawn have a gotten a _little_ bit closer, eh?"

"We're taking a walk around town, and yes, yes we have," Lucas whispered back with a slight chuckle.

"How close?"

"Had a candlelit dinner, then a dance and a kiss close."

"You made it all the way, then. We'll save a talk for later," Barry laughed as the two pulled back from their embrace, patting each other on the back. "A walk around the town, you say," he spoke aloud again, completely drawing attention away from the previously whispered conversation, "Then I guess you're going to see the statue at the center of town, right?"

"The statue?"

"Yeah, what else do you think is in town this way?"

"We didn't know, that's why we're strolling around town for a bit. Just to get a feel for the place since we're going to be here until I beat my gym, anyway."

"Strolling? Get a feel for the place? If you spend that much time, you'll die here, too," Barry laughed. "Come on, I know the town pretty well, and the statue is certainly a good place to start. Then we can head to the gym and Pokemon Center before evening, right?"

"That works fine," Dawn and Alyssa nodded while Lucas passively agreed.

"Wait, before we go, do you know what this building here is for?" Lucas asked, pointing to the massive pillared building right behind them.

"Honestly man, I was just as puzzled as you when I saw that. It wasn't here last time I came, that's for sure, and I was surprised because the last building that big to be constructed here was built almost 80 years ago… so who's idea was it to build a modern structure here? But, eh, who cares?" he shrugged.

"Good point," Lucas shrugged with him as they set off straight into the heart of the town, over the black road where they could see a clearing in the center of the bustling city. Surrounded by a sturdy white fence, a huge, grass stepped hill with staircases on both sides released a powerful energy into the old city around it. A brown, brass, majestic statue standing proudly and radiantly in the middle of a rugged, stone pedestal with tourists and locals alike around its massive presence. Lucas couldn't quite make out the form from where he was on the road, but its grandeur and magnificence made themselves perfectly clear to him as they neared it.

"I can't even see it clearly from here, but it looks… marvelous," Alyssa said with awe. "I've never seen anything like it, so beautiful."

"Sure you have, have you used a mirror before?" Barry chuckled next to her, her cheeks reddening significantly before walking ahead of the group, leaving her no time to say or react to what he'd just said.

It was only a short trip down the road before, a conversation about the most effective Pokemon type for battles and contest raging hotly between the four, until Lucas suddenly spotted an unsightly figure on the side of the street staring at them. White and grey uniform, a blue bowl cut: he could not mistake that figure as it rapidly approached them. Lucas' vision tunneled immediately, throwing him out of the conversation and narrowing every sense onto the apparently oncoming threat.

"Well, best dragon type, right, Lucas?" Barry asked, his question falling on silence. "Lucas?" he asked again, before realizing that Lucas had left the conversation as he followed his gaze quickly to the grunt, setting the entire group on their toes in an instant. The grunt began walking toward them a bit more quickly, unsettling everyone but Lucas. "He's getting close, man. What's the plan?" Barry asked, although Lucas remained silent, his gaze fixed squarely on the approaching grunt.

"Oi! Remove your Pokeballs from your packs and belts or whatever. Especially you, ladies, or I'll have to check you… thoroughly," he smirked as he pulled out a Pokeball on his own.

Lucas briefly bore an intense, forewarning smile before turning a cold, menacing look to the grunt. He recognized the uniformed Galactic operative. It was the same grunt he'd beaten when they attacked Professor Rowan in Jubilife. This grunt had already gotten a taste of Lucas' power before, and Lucas was itching to unleash brute force, till he felt Dawn's gentle hand tug on his arm. He turned to look at her, snapping out of his lock as a pleading pair of blue eyes spoke to him, begged him not to deal brutally with Galactic again.

He let out a sigh, indicating that he'd toned down his anger by some degree before turning a fiery, menacing look towards the grunt, his Pokeball in hand. He didn't make a move. He didn't say anything. He simply stood his course, making sharp and riveting eye contact as his eyes narrowed, Barry following suit and staring down the grunt until the approaching grunt suddenly recognized faces, halting almost immediately. Lucas' grip around his Pokeball tightened considerably, the cracking of his knuckled from the force shattering the uncomfortable silence as the grunt began to step back.

"Uh, woah, there. You… don't have to give your Pokemon. They're _very_ strong, you can, uh, k-keep them," he nervously said as he shuffled off in the other direction, not looking back at either Lucas or Barry who'd already turned their gazes away from the retreating grunt.

"See," Dawn said to Lucas, "You _don't_ have to fire with every gun you have at everything that threatens you. Half these grunts are spineless bullies. You do what you did now, they'll run with their tail between their legs," she encouraged, subtly thanking him for his refrain in this matter.

"I didn't have to fire every gun _because_ I used force on that grunt already. I taught him a lesson. Now he knows better," Lucas sternly said, "But yeah, it felt good not having to hunt or shoot after them for once," he then agreed with a less cold and aggressive tone. "I don't know what to do with them, though. There are people like him, threatening to steal Pokemon and then who randomly give up. And then we met the people in Jubilife who were willing to kill or get killed to do what they did. It's… hard to believe they all don the same uniform."

"The fact that they have the same uniform doesn't mean all of their efforts have to be concerted," Alyssa suggested, "That guy could just be a weird straggler or someone with a loose screw."

"He could be," Barry agreed," But before you Debbie-Downers destroy the mood, I have to take you to the Eterna Statue!" he exclaimed with positivity, somewhat removing the glum face from everyone's expressions.

It was not a much further walk from where they were to the statue, and since Barry had been there before, he knew his way around without a map, quickly leading them across the brick road and traveling citizens to a grandiose and archaic town square that stood proudly in the center. They quickly trotted up the stairs, the relatively low crowd of a Monday morning allowing them to easily pass until they suddenly stopped at the highest terrace where the pedestal was situated.

A man—tall, broad shoulders, bluish-gray hair, and in a pristine white and grey uniform—stood serenely and with piercing concentration right in front of the statue, blocking the view of some of the people near him of the small plaque or plate that was on the front of the statue, but none seemed to want to approach or near him at all.

"Hm," he huffed in a deep, brooding, almost involuntary manner, "This… is Eterna's Pokemon statue," he said aloud as he gazed from the foot of the pedestal to the zenith of the mighty structure. He folded his arms behind his back, a firm and imposing posture as he kept speaking somewhat quietly to himself. "Space, time: intertwined colors of fabric weaved to create our very existence," he paused to look at his hand before he folded his arms behind his back again, "A painful existence. A purposeless existence."

"Isn't he—" Dawn began.

"Sh!" Lucas quickly cut her off as he began listening further, his suspicions about the man's eerie attire and cold demeanor concerning him.

"To take the loom that wove this faulty piece and redirect the threads into a perfect tapestry—painless, emotionless—I need to know more. To turn your myth into legend, your legend into reality," he said as he placed his hand on the pedestal, "I will investigate your truth, know your power." He then stood back from the statue, turning to where Lucas and the other three were, essentially freezing them dead in their tracks as they all looked at each other, completely stunned.

The man stopped abruptly in front of them, assuming they'd move side by the time he'd reached there but he seemed mildly surprised by their refusal to part before resuming his cold and focused gaze into them. His stare suddenly averted to Lucas' hat, paying close attention, giving it undivided and concentrated attention for an unsettling period of time before looking at Lucas with a curt smile. "I suppose you're here to see the statue?" he asked them, a force of power in his question.

"Yes," Lucas affirmatively answer, hiding his unease.

"Interesting. I wouldn't think kids your age would have much passion for a statue such as that."

"We're different that way," Barry responded.

"A quippy one, aren't you?" he said as his eyes seemed to flash red, "Now stand aside and allow me to pass," he addressed to all of them though his gaze fixed squarely on Lucas until they parted.

Lucas watched the man pass down the stairs and toward the massive blue building he had yet to identify in the distance before he looked back to the bronze statue. He felt a force, a reverberating, growing pulse that seemed to resonate his chest with higher. He looked harder at the statue, a… connection seeming to arise between him and its form. Its head, a streamlined dragon's head with a powerful crest, a massive backplate that rose out of its body as it stood proudly on all two legs, raising its arms in a powerful stance, wings unfolded from each shoulder as its armor plated its extremities with smooth elegance and regality, and a long and muscular tail raising into the sky from the 30-foot statue of a mysterious Pokemon.

Or at least, it… seemed mysterious, though Lucas was sure some parts, or maybe even the whole thing, he'd seen before somewhere. Ephemeral moments of recognition seemed to pop into his mind just long enough to hold his gaze and attention to the statue before a new feature of the colossal structure drew his attention. _"Is it…"_ he began to think, _"I can hear it… calling m—"_

He was jarred out of his fixation as he felt Dawn's soft, warm hands, clasp his. "Hey," she said, shaking arm, "Are you alright?" she said with a concerned smile, "You're staring at that statue… like that man," she said with increasing concern.


	24. Chapter 24: A New Fury

Chapter 24

"What the hell?!" Barry said in disbelief as he stared at the area where the plaque marking the Pokemon Statue of Eterna City should have been. "There's supposed to be a plaque here, and it looks like it was ripped right off!" he somewhat angrily said. "What kind of asshat does that?"

Lucas tossed a suspicious look in the direction the man who had just walked passed them went in before turning back to Barry. "I don't know. But look around," he discretely said so only Alyssa, Dawn, and Barry could hear, "There's a lot of people with blue bowl-cuts and a golden letter 'G' on the chest. I'm sure they've got their hands dipped in this too," he said, leaning his head in the direction of the statue.

"Really? But why?" Dawn asked.

"We haven't been able to give a solid reason as to why they have done _anything_ we've caught them doing, only that they do these things and put up a ridiculously harsh fight when we try to push them out of their actions," he noted, "This probably isn't any different, but sooner or later, all the pieces we collect about them will fit together, like Arthur said they would."

He took one last look at the statue before turning to head down the stairs before Dawn grabbed his arm. "Excuse me, where are you headed?" she asked somewhat harshly, though a creeping smile revealed to Lucas she was playing around.

"Um… down the stairs," he gestured, "Back to town."

"We came _all_ the way from home to Eterna, and we see this massive statue, and you don't even want to take a picture?" she pleaded.

"What? No… I mean, I don't like taking pictures very much. Besides what's so special about—"

"No, you came here with _me_. I want to remember our time here later on," she sweetly insisted clasping her hands together over his. "Just a few pictures," she smiled.

Lucas could see Barry and Alyssa both shoot him an insisting look until he somewhat begrudgingly agreed. A few minutes later, the four were headed back down the steps again, with Barry regretting egging Lucas to take a picture as Alyssa and Dawn eventually dragged him in, too, but both found small happiness in seeing Alyssa and Dawn gleefully go through each of the pictures they took.

"So," Barry said as he and Lucas trailed slightly behind Alyssa and Lucas as he placed an arm on his shoulder, "What do we do about these grunts around us?" he said, not making any contact with the individuals in his vision who clearly wore Galactic Grunt uniforms but didn't seem to be doing anything criminal or alarming at the moment.

"We'll let them be for now. I've got my eye on them, too, Barry. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to pull the trigger yet. I don't want them to swarm us," he warned.

"Alright, I just wanted to make sure we're on the same page," Barry nodded. "When are you headed to the gym?"

"Tomorrow, after a bit of training with Dawn," Lucas responded with a bit of excitement.

"Dawn?" Barry asked, almost slightly offended as he and Lucas decided to catch up with Alyssa and Dawn. "I thought you'd train with me. I need the practice too, man. Besides, we're the same caliber, and I need to settle the score for all our battles," he somewhat complained.

"Gosh," Lucas said, rubbing the bridge of his nose as Dawn and Alyssa silently giggled to themselves, "Dawn said _literally_ the same thing yesterday. It's like you guys can read each other's minds and are intentionally screwing me over!" he joked, "But yeah, Dawn just caught her third Pokemon, a Shellos, and I promised her a battle," he sympathetically said to Barry.

"Well, there's the legendary dilemma of man, and now you have to choose: your bros or your h—"

"Or his _what_?" Dawn cut in before Barry could finish the sentence, making him swallow his words as a brief fiery glance from Lucas seemed to do the necessary convincing. "Were you going to say something?"

"I… uh," Barry weakly said, tugging his collar to breathe a bit, "Um…"

"Hey!" a voice shouted from behind, them, a smooth tone of a woman in her late 20s or early 30s. A tall woman, at Lucas and Barry's height, dressed in a black coat and with thick, straight blond hair and bangs that still gave her a straight and piercing look. Her clothes had black fur rims on her sleeves and neck, and her long, flowing black coat waved behind her like a cape in the wind as her jet black heels clicked against the brick pavement.

All four of them recognized the figure almost instantly, sending them into awed silence as her incredible presence walked quickly toward their now gaping faces with an acknowledging smile. Clearly, their reaction to her wasn't something she was unacquainted with. She approached them, taking a good look at the Pokedexes held in Lucas, Dawn, and Barry's hands before speaking again, "Hello there, I'm sorry to bother you, but I couldn't help but notice you had Pokedexes with each of you," she said in her authoritative, raspy, somewhat seductive voice. "Oh, I guess I haven't introduced myself properly," she laughed as the other four remained stunned in awe, "My name is Cynthia. I a trainer just like you all, actually."

"Er… y-you're the Champion," Barry weakly stammered out as Cynthia shot him a mildly flattered glance.

"Yes, I am. But at heart, we are the same kind of trainers, right? That's the most important thing to me," she happily said. "I've got a passion for Sinnohan myth and culture, so I'm here investigating the statue, especially since I have reports that somebody has tried to damage it, but I caught sight of you and I just had to tell you how much you reminded me of when I was you age and to thank you for what you've done," she said, looking at Lucas and Dawn towards the end of her sentence.

"Th-thank us?" Lucas asked, confused.

"Well, as the Champion, I have to recognize the people doing good work to help other people and encourage them, and I think what you did in Jubilife and Valley Windworks are signs of bravery and talent that I look forward to seeing grow. You're on a good path… Mr…?"

"I'm Lucas, this is Dawn, this is Barry, and this is Alyssa," he somewhat shyly filled in as the rest of them gave equally nervous acknowledgments to the Champion. _"She's easily the most powerful person in Sinnoh. Maybe even the whole world,"_ he thought to himself with a shudder, _"And she said I've got talent?"_ he thought further, a slight smile of pride now spreading across his face before he realized what she'd just told him. _"Wait, how does she know about me in Valley Windworks and Jubilife? I didn't tell anyone about that?"_ His expression suddenly became a bit panicked as he blurted out, "How do you know about what we did with… Team Galactic," he nervously asserted, not knowing who was listening as a sense of paranoia forced itself on him, making him continually scan surroundings in the middle of the conversation.

"I'm the _Champion_ , Lucas. It's in my executive authority to monitor national security concerns. Although," she said as a tone of pain and defeat seemed to arise in her, "In this state of inaction we've been forced into… I'm afraid _monitoring_ is all I've been—well, I shouldn't say too much, it would burden you all for no good. I wanted to give you this," she said reaching into her handbag to give something to Lucas, who picked it up in his outstretched palm.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's an HM. You can teach your Pokemon moves that can be trained for both functional and battle purposes. This one is cut, and once you scan it with the Eterna City badge, it'll activate and you can use it to remove obstacles and growth on your journey. It's a symbol of your progress forward," she smiled as she enclosed his fingers around the object. "I hope you encounter many new kinds of powerful Pokemon with that Pokedex of yours. Cherish the time you have on this journey, the people you journey with. This opportunity… it's a chance that most people don't have the grit to see through, and they fly past too quickly. Who knows, maybe I'll see you again someday as an opponent in the League," she suggested with a beckoning aura glowing around her as the wind still blew against her long hair and black coat.

Lucas and the rest simply nodded and gave a thank you to her, as she shook each of their hands, released a purple Pokemon that moved in such a terrorizing fierce and flowing motion that Lucas barely blinked before it flew off into the sky with Cynthia. "What just… happened?" he asked the rest of the group as he stared blankly with complete shock where Cynthia just was moments ago.

"The… Champion of Sinnoh just handed you an HM," Barry filled in a monotone, half-dazed manner.

"And she said she would take a keen interest in your progress," Dawn said in the same fashion.

"Would take? She _is_ taking," Alyssa added, equally as stunned as the other three as they all held their gaze at her riding into the thick winter clouds above.

"She's very humble," Lucas remarked almost disconnectedly to the rest of the conversation.

"She is, but that just proves how capable she really is. And she went out of her way to notice your work. You're…" Dawn trailed.

"Gonna be the second-best trainer Sinnoh has ever seen! After me, of course," Barry announced with ecstatic glee.

"Let him have his moment, Barry," Dawn chided.

"Oh, he's had enough," he joked, patting Lucas on the back as he laid an arm around Lucas' shoulder, "Now let's see that HM she gave you," he said as Lucas blinked blankly before realizing what Barry was asking for.

He looked into his palm and looked at what she gave him for the first time. It was a small black USB drive, one that could be read by any computer and could quickly port high volumes of information. It had a red light that was off built into the case and had a sleek, smooth design, something Lucas found entertaining as he played with it between his fingers. "How about we take a look at it after our gym battle, huh?" he asked the rest of the group.

"No! Activate it right now!" Barry almost restlessly demanded.

"Um, no," Lucas shrugged, "I don't even have a computer on me, so how am I even going to load this?" he asked. Barry shrugged defeatedly before they all talked some more about their surprise run-in with Cynthia, with Lucas and Barry even going so far as to say that they may have been met with a Galactic Grunt in a costume meant to spy on them, though Dawn and Alyssa fervently dispelled that idea.

They rounded a corner fairly quickly afterward, with both groups passing by a shop on their right, a fairly new but shop that had industrial-age design with red bricks and mortar forming its walls. Outside, rings of a bike rack were kept in many rows as varieties of bikes were kept docked and locked in them. A small label outside that said, "Eterna Bike Shop" arrested everyone's attention all at once as they took a long, yearning gaze at the bikes. "God, I wish we could have one of those," Lucas groaned, "I can't imagine having to walk for the rest of the journey. I'll be long dead before I finish."

"Great idea, but those aren't just _any_ bikes, they're Eterna's famous _Geschwindigkeitdämon_ ," Barry sadly said, "You'll need a stroke of luck or a fortune to—"

"I'm sorry, _what_ did you say it was called?" Dawn interrupted, "I-it sounded like you vomited four sentences in the middle of one," she said, absolutely confused, "I'm really sorry if I sound kinda mean," she apologized right after.

" _Geschwindigkeitdämon_ ," Barry proudly repeated, showing off his language skills _,_ "It's a word that basically means 'Speed-Demon'."

"It's one bloody word?" even Lucas added in shock. Lucas knew Barry knew that language and spoke it since he was a kid, but he himself had never really bothered to understand or comprehend its nature at all.

"What language is it? And how do you even know it?" Dawn asked, bewildered as they stood outside the shop while the sun set behind them.

"Well," he somewhat haughtily began, his cockiness clearly getting to his head as he shot a quick glance at Alyssa who was the only one who hadn't remarked about him yet but bore a bright smile and eager eyes. Nobody else noticed, but a smile went across Lucas' faces as he noticed Barry's uptick in speaking pace, something that happened when he was excited or eager to show something. "My grandparents on both sides are from a region right to the east of Kalos. I'm not sure what its _actually_ called, but I know the nickname is _Deutschland_ since the language is called _Deutsch_ and the people are _Deutsche._ I lived with them in Snowpoint till I was five, so I don't remember too much, but I definitely picked up some of the language pretty quickly."

"Are you fluent?" Dawn added to her previous question.

"Yeah, fairly," Barry remarked about himself. At this point, had his pride been given weight he would have spontaneously sunk to the bottom of the Earth. "I can actually—"

"Meine Eltern und Großeltern auch kommen aus Deutschland," Alyssa happily said to him with impeccable accent and fluency.

"Um…" Barry trailed a bit while Lucas smirked and Alyssa had an amused grin on her face, though she her smile seemed less mocking and more playful than Lucas'. "I-Ich wusste nicht, dass du D-Deutsch sprichst kannst," he suddenly and somewhat frightfully said, clearly having to think about what he was saying, though his accent was similar to that of Alyssa's. "Du kommst aus Johto, ja?" he asked back, all while Lucas and Dawn were holding back light giggles, each painting their own picture of speculative interpretations as to what was being said back and forth between the other two.

"Ja, varum?" she asked back.

"Eterna hat eine gutes Johtoanisch Restaurant. Darf ich dich zum Abendessen einladen?"

"Hm… Ich dachte ein Deutschen Restaurant."

"Ja," he almost yelped, making her jump a bit backward before he spoke again to reassure her. "Sounds good to me," he said again in English, his vocabulary clearly wearing thin while Alyssa had far more ease and proficiency than he did.

"Leerlaufen, Barry?" she giggled, as his face reddened quite a bit. "I'm only kidding," she smiled, bumping her shoulder into his gently before whispering something inaudible to Lucas and Dawn in his ear that made his eyes flash lasers with excitement for a brief moment.

"What do you think they were saying?" Dawn asked Lucas quietly.

"I have _no_ idea. I had no idea he even knew enough of this language to maintain a _conversation_ ," Lucas answered back equally quietly. "Alright, are the operatives allowed to declassify their conversation to the rest of us now?" Lucas said aloud, seeing that their dialogue seemed to have ended. "Because all I could tell was that there was something about a douche—"

" _Deutsch_ ," Barry quickly corrected.

"What?" Lucas asked, confused.

"Deutsch, not douche. It's a name."

"Only goes to prove his point, Barry," Dawn laughed with Lucas, "What were you two talking about?" Dawn asked, noting his reddened face and excited nature.

"Hm… y'all are smart. I'm sure you'll know on your own soon enough," Alyssa smirked at the two of them, knowing their burning curiosity for the truth.

"Oh, I think I know _just_ what you were talking about," Dawn smirked back, giggling stupidly.

"Whatever, man. I'm starving and the sun is setting. Can we go back to eat something now?" Barry whined, distracting everyone from the emerging topic on their minds.

"Oh, uh, sure," Lucas agreed, wanting to bail his friend out of some nervous trouble. "I guess we'll grab some food and prepare for tomorrow," he nodded.

"Sounds lovely," Alyssa nodded with the rest as they moved past the bicycle shop, made a quick stop at the Pokemart after Dawn and Alyssa insisted, and finally entered further into the heart of the city where a familiar building that looked the same in every town in every region stood welcomingly.

They'd all had a quick meal and made their way to their rooms to rest, with Lucas quickly grabbing a pencil and paper and writing out notes about Gardenia and strategies he could use while Barry flicked on the television knowing any thinking or preparation would only serve to give him nerves during the real battle.

Dawn walked by Lucas on his desk a short while later, both having made preparations for bed but Lucas going back to work some more on his plan. "You like having everything written down and planned, don't you?" she asked him as she sat beside him, placing her arm around him.

"Yeah, I guess I do," he shrugged, "I don't like to do things cold."

"But haven't you ever improvised something? Make a choice up on the spot and have only your gut to back it up?" she pressed.

"Plenty of times, but let's be honest, is that the best way to get results?" he asked her back.

"Um…" she thought for a bit, "I don't think so," she admitted, "But it _is_ fun sometimes."

"Really?" he asked, his eyebrow reaching the ceiling.

"When Professor Rowan asked if I wanted to go on my journey, I said yes. I improvised that decision right there. On the spot," she confidently stated, "And then I chose to be with you the whole way through the journey right when you asked me. On the spot. Lucas, I didn't have to plan things out for me to love the choices I made. Sometimes, you have to trust yourself," she said more insistently and softly.

"Hold on you… made that choice on the fly?" Lucas asked, completely taken aback by what she said.

"Yeah," Dawn nodded, proud of her happy outcome.

"But… the decision to go on a journey: it's not a small choice. It can make or break your life, and it's no surefire way to put food on the table, that's for sure. It's not the kind of choice you want to—"

"Are you saying I made the wrong choice?" she asked with a slight smirk on her face, knowing he would have to say no.

"No, but—"

"I wanted to follow my dream. And right there—when I saw you and Barry ready set out on your own and how you caught Rowan's attention—I realized there was something in me to do the same, to get back on stage and achieve something that I always wanted and that I believed I was prime for. That passion behind a decision is what makes it a worthwhile one when it works out, Lucas."

"But… what if it doesn't?"

"Are you saying I can't be the Top Coordinator?" she asked again with a smirk.

"Why do you keep asking these questions with 'Are you saying that—'? I mean, of course not! We know that now. But what if it didn't?"

"It doesn't matter because even if I could go back with the knowledge I have now, how much experience I've gotten over the past month, I would have made the same choice. Because Lucas, if I had looked at all the risks, all the things that scared me, all the questions I had: then I wouldn't have these three Pokeballs in my pockets, you wouldn't be holding my hand, and wouldn't have a ribbon that I worked so hard to get pinned to my contest clothes, right?"

"Right," he conceded, smiling.

"Exactly," she said as Lucas kept writing on his paper again before Dawn placed her hand on his writing hand, stopping him as he looked at her, his face a bit flush. "Why are you reddening up? You hold mine all the time," Dawn playfully taunted before Lucas put the pen aside and looked her directly in the eye, knowing that she had something important that she wanted to get across to him.

"Lucas, when we battle tomorrow, I want you to try something," she kindly suggested.

"What is it?" he smiled back.

"I want you to improvise. Don't plan out every move and idea out today. Just be there. With me. In the battle. You'll know what I mean," she glowed, "Besides, you _will_ have to improvise at some point in one of your big battles, so this'll be practice for that. No gym leader is going to mail their strategy to you beforehand, right?"

"You're right, Dawn," he shrugged as he closed his book, "He stood up from the small desk and turned away before turning back to speak to Dawn, "About your decision to go on a journey… with me… I want you to know that I'm glad you chose what you chose. I guess… your decision made my life better, too," he said as he put on his shoes to step out of the door.

"Where are you headed?" Dawn asked as she made her way over to the bed, sliding into her cool covers to escape from the room that was spewing heat from the vents due to the freezing weather outside. "Well, since you mentioned the mail, I think I'm going to go downstairs and pick mine up, too. You want to come?"

"Um, no. I'm good here. But come quickly, though, these covers are a _lot_ colder than I thought," she coyly demanded.

"Alright," he chuckled, stepping out the door before he returned a minute later with a few pieces of mail tucked in his arm as he shut the door as he rubbed his shoulders. "It's soooo cold out there, and then it's soooo warm in here!" he complained, acknowledging Dawn's previous remark.

"Oh, just snuggle here with me. It'll be the right temperature for the both of us," she lightly giggled as she scooted to the side of the bed to give him some room before he lay down next to her, pulling out the pieces of mail before looking at one last small piece in an envelope with a handwritten send and return address in his mother's familiar handwriting.

"Oh, it's from mum," he smiled as Dawn laid an arm on him.

"What's it say?"

"She said she's very happy that you won your contest… and that she thinks you're a better trainer than me," he lightly chuckled.

"She's right, you know," Dawn said with a smug smile.

"I guess I'll have to disprove both of you tomorrow," he replied before reading from the letter again. "She says she misses me and that she can't wait for me to come back to Twinleaf so we can celebrate her birthday," he said as he read the letter.

"She's incredibly sweet, isn't she. You _better_ make her a very thoughtful gift," she chided with a smile.

"And… she's also put a picture in here, too," Lucas added, pulling out an old color photograph, the clarity slightly blurred because of film quality but the colors distinct. There was a boy in the picture, maybe only a few years older than Lucas with a bright smile on his face bearing almost the exact same facial features except for his eyes—this boy had emerald-green eyes whereas Lucas' were a hazel-brown—but he still wore Lucas' distinct cap, a brown coat, and white shirt. He was a bit taller and leaner than Lucas, and his arm was around the shoulders of another man who seemed to be smiling with the first but seemed to have difficulty smiling or perhaps the picture was taken at the wrong moment because he had a piercing gaze that seemed to shoot right through the photo and at the viewer. He wore a grayish-white coat and had his arm around the first boy, and he had a firm posture that held his forbearing expression to the camera still and focused.

"Who… are they?" Dawn asked looking at the picture with Lucas.

Lucas didn't quite listen as he flipped the picture over to reveal his mother's handwriting on the back. _"I was cleaning out the attic the other day and I found this picture of your father I took when he was a few years older than you. I don't quite remember who the other man in the picture is, but I think he and your father were good friends or perhaps they were colleagues. Anyway, I wanted to show you just how much you remind me of him and to tell you how proud he would be if he could see you now. I'll see you soon, Lucas!"_

"You really _do_ look alike, huh?" Dawn remarked as she compared the two, "But your eyes and hair are definitely your mom's," she further noted before Lucas put the picture back in the envelope.

"Yeah, we do look alike," he agreed, "But I'm glad mum keeps all of these old pictures and stuff around and organized. It's… hard work, but it's… sometimes touching to see them, right?"

" _Now_ do you understand why I wanted to take so many pictures?" Dawn laughed, "You'll want to remember all the time we spent together," she explained as Lucas was about to put the envelope on the side-table.

"Wait a minute, let me see that," she said as she snatched the mail envelope out of his hands suddenly before he could react to yank it back.

"Lucas J. Drake. You have a middle name?!" she surprised asked with a grin.

"Well, yes," he said, sending a corner of his lip flatly to one side, "It's James. My father's name."

"Lucas James Drake," she said aloud, "I _do_ like the sound of that."

"And I would guess that 'E' would have to stand for something, too, huh?"

"What?" she asked again in surprise, her eyes widening as she looked at him.

"I saw your trainer card. That 'E' would have to stand for something. Right, Ms. Dawn E. Avery?"

"It does…" she somewhat shamefully trailed as Lucas pressed forth with his questioning.

"And what name would that be…?"

"I don't like my middle name very much," she gruffly said, dodging the question.

"Nuh uh, you can't just evade answering like that," he keenly smiled as he moved to sit next to her.

"You're going to make fun of me for it; I know it," she plainly said as she turned her face away from him.

"Maybe I will," he replied as he laid down on her lap, looking up at her while she still averted her gaze to hide a creeping smile, "Okay, I won't," he said more earnestly this time as he pulled lightly on her chin so she would face him again, "But I at least deserve to know."

"Esmé," she quickly said under her breath.

"I didn't hear you," Lucas smirked. "What're you shy about? It's just a name."

"It's not one that I like to be called by."

"Nobody's going to call you by it," he rapidly ensured.

A short silence ensued. "Well," she started, "It's Esmé," she said with a slight expression of defeat.

"Esmé?" he asked, making sure he was pronouncing it right. "It's a Kalosian name," he noted with a pleasant surprise.

"Yeah, I know," she glumly said.

"And it's a cute name, especially for a cute girl. 'Esmé," he slowly repeated, "And I can make a nickname out of it. Right, Esee?" he joked with a soft smile. "How could you _possibly_ not like your middle name?"

"Don't call me that," she said, wagging her finger in his face.

"Esee sounds sweet to me," he smiled, "I like it a lot more than Dawn, for sure," he smiled proudly.

"My _parents_ named me Dawn," she sternly said.

"And they didn't name you Esmé?" he asked, drawing his point across as Dawn sighed in defeat. "It'll be an endearing name," he softly said as he moved the back of his hand gently down her cheek, "So then you know something is special, okay?"

"Okay," she softly agreed, pressing his hand against her cheek. A short silence passed before she asked a question again, seemingly having done some thinking about it. "Who do you think would win in the battle tomorrow: you or me?" she inquisitively asked as she lied down next to him, an arm wrapped around him as he turned to face her.

"Me," he bluntly said with a chuckle, "Won't be an easy win, but I never lose."

"Would you lose for a kiss?"

He paused to think for a moment, "Hm, maybe to yours, yes."

"Wow, you're easy to bribe."

"Any man in his right mind would take that bribe."

"Then take it."

"Gladly, Esee," he chuckled as his lips pressed onto hers atop the cool covers and pillows, the delicate scent of floral perfume washing over him as felt her wrap herself around and push into him rhythmically. He ran his fingers through her soft, dark hair. He briefly pulled back for a moment to take a good look at the piercing blue eyes that stared back at him, before giving a tender smile that met hers again.

"Well, good night then, Dawn," he smiled as he pulled the mail back from her hands, placed it on the desk, and slid into the covers fully, closing his eyes.

Lucas' sleep sent him into yet another construction of reality as he lay on the bed. Bolts of fire, lightning, and plasma streaked around him in shades of blue, pink, red, and white as he stood suspended in a seemingly infinite background of black. He could feel a gripping, angry, writhing force stick itself into his back, pulling and tugging at him as it dragged him backwards through the vacuum. He tried anchoring his feet. He tried planting. He tried flailing and throwing every ounce of energy and effort into counteracting it but instead, he simply succumbed to the force, being pulled past more streaks of burning hot material, debris from some even singing and burning him in some place while he grit his teeth and held on to the force to keep from being torn away.

All of a sudden, the flashes of light and fireballs didn't seem to streak around him, diverting their colorful and flashing hot trajectories closer toward him as they passed by, as though he possessed some sort of gravitational field that beckoned the objects closer by the moment. One collided with him, and though he felt the jarring, tearing momentum slam into his thigh from the collision, he didn't feel the burn as he screamed out in brutal agony. He released his pain into the empty space around him as the embers and energy from the collided sphere began to slowly coalesce around him, enveloping him pulsing in a bright, iridescent color.

All the balls of energy finally coalesced together into one intense light source, a powerful radiating and flaring pulse of purple around Lucas' body that had clearly fused with his being and form, its fierceness feeding him and feeding off of him at the same time.

Lucas snapped awake as Dawn rook a quick notice of his familiar condition though she quickly drew attention to one particular feature on him: "Lucas," she began, "You're… sweating like crazy," she said as she placed a hand on his forehead, "And you're scorching hot!" she said in surprise. "Are you alright?" she asked, placing her hand on his forehead again as he weakly smiled at her.

"Yeah, I am," he nodded as she got up from the bed.

"I've got a thermometer. I need to see if you've got a fever," she insisted as she opened the curtains to let the sunlight from the new morning pour its way in.

"I don't have a fever; it was just a bad dream."

"I'm not buying it till this thing says so," she said as she held up the thermometer.

"Who are you, my mum?" Lucas chuckled as she handed him the thermometer.

"What do you think Johana would say if I _didn't_ take care of you," she said as Lucas took the thermometer out of his mouth.

"See, no fever," he said somewhat smugly before Dawn snatched it from his hands.

"Lemme see that."

"Oh, and mum would probably say something to the effect of 'Oh, don't bother taking care of him, dear. I don't want you tiring yourself keeping up with somebody like _him_. Even I can't, and I _raised_ him.'," he said imitating his mother's sweet tone.

"Do you really think Johana would say that?"

"To be honest," he half-sighed, "I think she thinks you're better than me, with all your manners and kindness and whatnot," he said with defeat before he smiled to see a creeping grin on Dawn's face.

"Well, _clearly_ your mom is right, then," she nodded self-approvingly.

"You're the better person," he conceded, pointing at her, "But _I'm_ the better trainer," he said, pointing to himself, "And they don't give awards or pay you for being a kind person, now do they?"

"Ooo, I cannot _wait_ to beat you in a battle today," she said with fake tone of anger.

"Eh, you'll have to be waiting a lot longer to beat _me_ ," Lucas cockily shrugged as she rolled her eyes.

"I think that you're a bit overconfident," she said, softly poking his forehead.

"It's justified though, isn't it?" he chuckled as he got out of bed. The banter continued for a bit more as they quickly readied themselves, though through the whole morning, Lucas could feel a tenseness and constant force in his muscles, pulling, tugging, forcing him to stay on his toes though he didn't feel the rush or intensity of any adrenaline. He didn't make much of it, simply stretching a bit and loosening up as they walked outside.

They made the short walk to a Pokemon Training Center next to the Gym at the southern end of town. "Wait, what's this place?" Dawn asked as they neared the entrance, "I thought we were gonna go practice for you battle today with Gardenia?" she asked.

"We are, in here," he gestured to the building that had a tan roof and a somewhat smaller size than the Gym Building next to it. "Most towns have some kind of flat or open space in or near them to have battles between trainers, but since Eterna is so old and since it's right next to the river and Eterna Forest, they don't have any of that."

"So they made this place so that trainers could battle each other without destroying themselves or the stuff around them?" Dawn filled in.

"Exactly… it's like a gym, like a _gym_ gym, for practice and exercise and not like for testing yourself like you do at the Pokemon gym," he clarified. They walked in shortly after, with Lucas scanning his ID to reserve themselves an open area for battling. Though the building was smaller than the gym next door, it had the same width and laminated walls they echoed all the voices inside into a vocal cacophony. Large, white lights above lit everything inside as white lines on a brown reinforced steel-laminate floor marked out two halves of a rectangle and a Pokeball in the center.

Lucas quickly walked to one end of the rectangle, pulled out a Pokeball from his pocket standing firm and tall in his ground, a calm but slowly exciting look in his eyes. "Well, are you going to battle?" he asked Dawn, who was still looking around the whole place and taking the sight of such a place dedicated to random trainer battles before his voice snapped her out of her observation.

"W-we're just gonna get right into it?" she asked, a bit surprised as she refocused herself on the battle and away from the novel surrounding.

"What, you want foreplay?" Lucas chuckled turning Dawn's cheeks into a light red color.

"Wha-no. It's just that… we usually have some kind of dialogue or a conversation before our battle right? For stakes and context and whatnot?"

"This ain't that kind of videogame," Lucas laughed back, throwing out Caesar's Pokeball out in front of him, releasing the blue, white, and gold Penguin Pokemon onto the floor of the battle-area. Lucas felt a rising, rhythmic hum inside him carry him forward into battle as he planted himself and watched his partner lay his prideful, steely eyes on Dawn, both waiting for her to release her first Pokemon.

"Alright, I choose you, Margaret," she said proudly as he released the small Meditie out in front of her, hovering off of the ground as she usually did to intimidate her opponent. Caesar narrowed his eyes and lowered his brows in response, unwavered by Margaret's seeming sorcery unlike previous opponents. "These two have never faced off before," Dawn noted, noticing the competitive tension between the two Pokemon.

"Yeah, the tension is palpable," Lucas smiled, moving swiftly into his first command of attack. "Caesar, Bubblebeam!" he ordered boldly.

"Start off with Calm Mind, as usual," Dawn said, wanting to strategically prepare herself for a drawn-out battle where her Meditite's stat changes would become a decisive factor. " _She'll take the hit from that Bubblebeam, but that's okay,"_ she thought to herself. Margaret coated herself in a powerful, radiating aura as her mind focused itself on setting up defenses and preparing its weapons for ranged and elemental attacks. Caesar's incoming Bubblebeam collided head-on with her purple and red pulsing aura, knocking into her head on thought the aura and her augmented ability to handle special attacks had clearly lessened its true impact, splashing some of the impact away harmlessly onto the floor. "Great job!" Dawn complimented on her Pokemon's resilience. "Fire back with Confusion!"

 _"Shit, that attack's gonna have some umph in it form the Calm Mind she used earlier,"_ Lucas thought, realizing that Dawn might have thought a plan of attack through for this battle just as much as he did. "Uh, Caesar, get cocky. Focus on it. She's going to try to mess with your head, so just focus on being prideful, and see if you can tough it out," Lucas improvised. _"I hope this stuff works."_

"Wow, you're really scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas to beat me, huh? The battle just started," Dawn laughed.

"Yeah, but those ideas still seem to be working," Lucas smiled as despite the fact that Margaret's aura pulsed violently and increased the power of her attack, she couldn't quite scramble and mess Caesar's mind as she had done with other Pokemon because the Penguin was just too innately cocky: it was one of its defining character traits, and its focus and commitment to the attitude made it somewhat resilient to the mental pandemonium that Margaret tried to cause though it still reeled back and was dizzied from the attack. "It worked," Lucas muttered to himself, digging his shoes further into the floor as he balled his fist with pride.

"Margaret, Confusion, again! Put everything you got in it, and knock Caesar out!" Dawn called out with confidence.

"Caesar, stagger through it, same plan," Lucas nodded, "Move to CC strategy," he then added, as Dawn raised her eyebrow in a puzzlement while she watched Caesar take yet another Confusion attack, making him buckle more than the last time, though his focus on his ego did again seem to help him persevere through the feeling of bordering madness that the attack made victims sometimes feel. Caesar gave out a painful cry before spreading his wings out to the side and then back as he began to charge forward headlong across the glistening gray floor toward Margaret.

 _"What in the hell does Lucas have planned?"_ Dawn thought as she began to take combat measures on her own end. "Margaret, Force Palm," she ordered, noticing that the Prinplup was coming closer, removing the risk of making physical attacks which needed Margaret to travel to her target. "But not yet," she ordered, holding her palm up as she and her Pokemon locked their eyes on the incoming blue Penguin that had built up quite a bit of speed despite its awkward running gait. "Not until I say so."

Lucas didn't seem to mind Dawn's new form of attack at all. A smile spread across his face, increasing Dawn's cautiousness and alertness to any slightest change or pattern that would emerge before her in the unfolding series of attacks. Caesar had moved within arm's reach of Margaret, and everything unfolded from there in a violent blaze of action.

"Now!" Dawn shouted as Margaret seemed to ignite her hand with a powerful, slightly translucent red energy that coursed through and up her arm into the coming attack. She thrust her hand out forward completely, slamming into the horns and head of Caesar who leaned his body forward, though he had a high enough defense to attacks to muster yet more strength to push through. Almost immediately after Margaret's attack connected, his golden-yellow beak suddenly emitted blinding white light that seemed to burn away at Margaret.

"Pin and Peck!" Lucas called out as Caesar followed a seemingly pre-planned play-call, using forward moment to pin down Margaret before embedding his beak in like a flying dagger as Margaret, grimaced silently from the first super-effective attack of the battle. Margaret was thrown to Dawn's feet as he pushed forward again, his beak glowing for yet another devastating Peck attack on Margaret. He had a bit of trouble accelerating on the smooth, laminated steel floor, giving Margaret just enough time to gather herself and sit upright, though if it weren't for her boost she gave herself with Calm Mind in the beginning, she might have been on the ground.

"You can't take an attack like that again," Dawn said to Margaret as even at his mediocre speed, Caesar was closing the distance to his target rapidly. "CONFUSION!" she almost screamed, earning brief concerned looks from the other trainers around them who turned away just as Margaret gathered enough energy to fire off one more powerful, boosted psychic attack that halted Caesar squarely in his tracks, gripping him tightly in his mind as he was certainly less prepared than the previous two times.

"No! You need to push through, buddy," Lucas pleaded in futility as he watched Caesar slowly succumb before he fell sideways onto the floor, dazed. He sighed in defeat, recalling Caesar silently. "It's my fucking fault," he cursed himself as he looked at Caesar's Pokeball, "I'm sorry, Caesar." He was down one Pokemon now, and Dawn had yet to take a loss, and as the heat of battle began to rise, his heart seemed to beat harder, beat faster He was moving in a higher gear now, and there was no slowing down. _"I'll send out Prometheus,"_ he thought frantically, _"More fire. More force. We'll get this done,"_ he said in his mind as he released the golden Charmeleon out of its Pokeball into the crisp air and bright lights of the battle area.

Prometheus landed on his feet, the Lizard Pokemon's eyes matching the fire of its bright tail-flame as it stood vigorously and excitedly, bringing a new fury into the battle. "Ember!" Lucas fierily ordered with Prometheus more than happy to oblige, spinning in a circle as he combined his tail flame with a fireball produced in his mouth before hurtling it across the arena toward Margaret like a high-explosive shell.

"Push yourself to the side!" Dawn ordered as Margaret almost reflexively used her levitation to shift herself to the side rapidly despite her weakness, but still only just fast enough to avoid a direct impact as the fireball collided on the ground next to her and sent flammable debris and fumes onto her. She still held on, her boosted defense to special attacks serving her even in her final moments of battle. The searing pain of the attack knocked Margaret's focus enough to prevent her levitating for a bit as the singed bits of debris dispersed into the air as she hit the ground to reveal a glowing, red mark on her body.

"A burn," Lucas and Dawn said at once as Margaret struggled even more than before to even remain upright. "You need to use Confusion. Keep him at range and hit him with whatever you have left. You can _do_ it Margaret!" Dawn encouraged earnestly. Margaret stood up this time, not having the strength to levitate, and focused her gaze on her target's mind yet one more time, but as sparks seemed to bleed from the glowing wound onto the gray floor, she bent one knee, sending one hand to the ground, and then bent the other knee as she fell forward into the floor. "You held your own and then some," Dawn appreciated as she recalled Margaret, "You need the rest, now, but Verna, it's time to put this _battle_ to rest!" she called out.

She released Verna from her Pokeball almost immediately, the pink sea-slug Pokemon plopped onto the floor less gracefully than her predecessor, but her fierceness and fury emanating from within seemed to more than cover for her soft and harmless appearance. Her fimbriae-like protrusions from her head began to move and flow freely as she lowered and extended her head to level focus with the target in front of her: Prometheus, a fire type. _"You've got to be kidding me,"_ Lucas thought, realizing how rash it was to call Prometheus out early in the match. _"Shellos is a water-type. I KNEW that. I planned for it… and then I got carried away like a jackass."_

"Looks like your head isn't in the game, Lucas," Dawn said confidently, "But even a mismatch like this isn't one I'm going to kick back and watch," she half-smirked, "Verna, use Water Pulse!"

The little Shellos reared its head back, a small mass of water emerging from its fluid-like hide and coalescing into a spinning itself into a thick ring that it kept adding to and sustaining until with a flick of Dawn's hand forward, it unleashed a small tidal wave out into the battle-area.

"Fight it back with Dragon Breath!" Lucas thundered, and Prometheus followed but barely had time to react. Prometheus charged up a ball of raging purple energy with the sound of two steel plates grinding against each other, something more than light or heat, something innately majestic and deadly and beyond scientific understanding. There was a glint of purple in Lucas' eyes as Prometheus discharged the Dragon Breath out like a flamethrower to counteract the Water Pulse, but even the strength of the Dragon-Type attack carved only a small hole in the incoming torrent, which was so expansive that Prometheus still took some of the attack while even Lucas, who stood several feet behind him, was slammed and soaking wet by the end.

Lucas watched as Prometheus' tail flicked, fizzled, and turned more blue as it flared violently back to life, the upright lizard planting its feet and spewing flames from its mouth in rage. Dawn giggled on the other side, seeing Lucas' hair matted down and dripping, though she had to admit, he did look a bit inviting this way. "Should've kept your hat and jacket on, huh?"' she laughed playfully. "Good job, Verna," she smiled, reaching down to pet her Shellos who cooed happily.

Lucas gave a short, sweet smile, seeing Dawn so happy, before he sank back into his determined and serious demeanor, wiping off the water from his face with a swift motion of his hand. "Prometheus," he said, standing tall and straight, his tensed muscles revealing their outlines through his soaked shirt, "Slash and burn," he commanded in a low, almost growling voice that alerted Dawn he was setting in motion and other coordinated set of attacks.

Prometheus' tail flame now burst into a brilliant blue as his golden skin shimmered and radiated in its powerful light. His planted stance thrust him forward like a rocket towards Verna as his claws began whitening and then radiating bright light. "Water Gun, Verna, pin him before he gets too close!" Dawn commanded, knowing full well how much damage Charmeleon could do with its claws.

Verna began firing off shots of water that streamlined themselves into a teardrop shape mid-flight. They splashed all over the field as Prometheus instinctively dodged and weaved the incoming salvos, and while Verna would occasionally predict his movement well enough to land a hit close enough to cause some damage to him, her inexperience in trainer battles revealed itself as she failed to land a direct hit. Dawn watched as Prometheus got closer, his brilliant white claws yearning to dig into their victim, and decided that she needed to do something before Prometheus was close enough to land some damaging hits. "Wait for it," Lucas muttered to himself, knowing exactly what Dawn was thinking in that moment. _"She's going to want to land an attack that'll be hard to dodge or evade from,"_ he thought to himself with a smile, _"An attack to finish him off. Water Pulse."_

"Use Water Pulse!" Dawn ordered almost immediately after Lucas drew out his plan in his head. Verna again blasted out a wide pulse of water by forming a ring and letting it go yet again.

"Now, jump!" Lucas roared, and Prometheus made a leap a few feet into the air, keeping his horizontal momentum almost completely intact while sending him high enough in the air to go completely over the wave of water that blanketed everything underneath him. Lucas was hit by the torrent of water again, but he was completely unfazed, not even blinking or flinching as he watched Prometheus' trajectory in the air lead straight into Verna, whose slug-like body prevented her from having enough agility to dodge Prometheus.

"Water Gun, Verna," Dawn coolly said, knowing that at this range, Verna wouldn't miss Prometheus despite his speed in the air. She was right. Verna stayed in place, planted herself, and let loose a small jet of water right into Prometheus' underside as he came down. The Charmeleon let out a pained growl as steam hissed from where Verna's attack had hit. He was weak. He was struggling to keep his head in the strike, and he'd taken two super-effective hits, but he kept pushing forward. He had a job.

Prometheus grimaced through the pain and went into a fluid motion of combat perfection. He threw his body in a 360-turn, extending sharp, knife-like claws that sank and slashed into Verna's soft, gelatinous hide and brittle shell underneath as he twisted, hit slash after another. His blazing white claws' did their dirty work as Verna let out a high-pitched squeal of pain, but the onslaught didn't stop. By the time he'd completed the turn and was on the ground facing Verna head on again, he charged up another ferocious Dragon Breath and ripped into her again with the spray of the gradient purple Dragon Energy. Verna once again let out a painful yelp as the force and raw power of the combined attack sent her back a few feet where she lay on her side, oozing a mysterious, goopy, purple liquid onto the floor.

"That should do it," Lucas confidently and quietly said to himself. "There's no way she's getting up from—" He didn't even get the chance to finish his sentence as Verna stirred and shifted, her soft pink hide moving to resume its form again as she stood up to face Prometheus who was now only a few feet away from her, tired and weakened himself and too close to run anywhere. Even without Dawn's orders, the bold little Shellos spat a Water Gun attack at Prometheus, who tried moving out of the way but had expended so much energy on his aggressive series attacks that attack made a direct hit in his neck, knocking him backward onto the ground headfirst with a dull sound.

"Good _job_ , Verna! You did that all by yourself!" Dawn happily smile as she appreciated her newest addition to her team. "Extra treats for you when we get back okay?" she said, earning a happy cooing from the little Pokemon.

He wasn't angry. No. Or at least that was he told himself, but the hum that began at the start of the battle as rhythm to match his motivation had now become a whirling and thundering roar inside of him. He could feel the force and rage consuming his mind form inside. He knew what was going to happen. It'd happened to him before, but never like this. _Never_ in a situation like this. _"Hold out. Hold out…"_ he talked inside his head as best he could, though the tumultuous tidal wave of energy building up in him seemed to be too much for him to try to reign by any measure. _"Dawn won't like this,"_ he tried to joke with himself, but it didn't work. No reasoning with himself made a difference before energy in his mind shredded its bonds and raged free.

Dawn watched curiously at first. His fists had balled up completely, tightly, as the knuckles cracked in his enraged grip. The veins in his arms showed, sweat began to slowly form on his body, and he took his jacket and cap off outside for the first time, almost throwing them to the side. It was as though a fire was rising from his body: teeth were grit together, breaths heavier, stance firm and menacing. And his eyes: they seemed to be lock both Dawn and Verna in the sight of a 16-inch gun. _"He's… something's not right about him,"_ she worriedly thought as she watched his behavior become more and more aggressive with each second, and though she wasn't uncomfortable, she was worried for him, not believing that he would act rashly or violently towards her or her Pokemon. It wasn't his character. It wasn't _him_.

Lucas saw the same colors he always did before the crazed autopilot kicked in. A brilliant blue line on steel gray, a brilliant pink line on marbled white, streaks of red and gold on black, blazing white, abyssal black, icy white, golden lines on sparkling green, computer-screen green hexagons pieced together on black, a brilliant blaze of light split from a prism that fused again into pure light, and then purple: just a flowing, glowing, raging sea of purple fire. He recalled Prometheus and released Galahad from his Pokeball in a swift motion, taking no time to give Galahad some pretext or to thank Prometheus for his hard work. Lucas knew what he had to do now.

Galahad didn't take the air as he usually did, instead choosing to land on the floor wings partly spread and head raised, shooting a glowering and fierce look at the Shellos across the field. "Lucas… are you—"

"Aerial Ace, Galahad," he coldly commanded with a flick of his wrist. Galahad shot forward into the air at breakneck speed, shattering his normal speed as he propelled himself into a sharp climb where he had incredibly versatility in attacking opponents.

 _"What's he got planned now…"_ Dawn nervously thought, recognizing the aerial supremacy that her opponent demonstrated time and time again against his counterpart that Barry had.

Lucas fell silent, no longer relying on verbal orders. His eyes seemingly piercing into Galahad's mind as the raptor veered from its climb into a spiraling dive, tucking his wings as his spiral motion gave him a precise and linear trajectory downward onto his target. "Verna, use Harden, and tuck yourself in!" Dawn called out somewhat cautiously, knowing at the rate of descent Galahad was coming in wouldn't give Verna any time to dodge or react. Verna responded immediately by letting her shell underneath her gelatinous skin rise a little higher before she retracted her head a little further back into its protective covering. She was badly hurt by Prometheus' attacks, however, and though she had a better defensive position with her hardened shell, neither she nor Dawn were sure if the measures would hold up to Galahad's onslaught.

Galahad seemed to make no adjustments despite Verna's increased defensive position, maintaining his blazing speed as he bore down. Verna dazedly tried to follow him form the sky, and in the split second before impact, she fired a Water Gun attack and barely tucked her head further back into her shell but left her face and some of her exposed while grounding herself to keep protected. Galahad took the Water Gun attack head-on, shuddered a bit, and was only a few feet above the ground when he unfurled his wings to their fullest extent, a few feathers being pulled completely off of his wings by the G's exerted by the daring maneuver as he leveled off from his dive in a split second.

On the other side of the field, Lucas watched with a cold, satisfied look as Galahad executed maneuvers with perfection in regard to every detail Lucas envisioned in his mind. He could feel his bond with the raptor strengthening, like there was a link. He couldn't convey ideas, at least not in a clear or verbal sense, but there existed an understanding for every task to perform in battle, every bit of effort needed to take opponent an out.

Galahad closed the few meters between him and Verna in the blink of an eye. Dawn cringed a bit as she saw the raptor extend his razor-sharp and glistening talons, wings spread out and the undersides facing Verna as he leaned his body back to push his legs out as far as they could while giving him perfect control on his strike. He delivered and agile and inescapable slash as the talons gripped and raked across the Verna's front where her shell didn't fully cover her, picking the Shellos up a foot in the air before he let her go in his ascent out of his attack.

Verna landed fine on her underside after the fall, but the jarring and consecutive impacts and attacks finally caused her to yield as she slumped over on her side. Dawn kneeled down and gently rubbed her side and recalled her into her Pokeball before wiping her hand on her shorts to clean off the purple ooze from Verna's hide. "Lucas," she said as she stood back up while Galahad made the quick trip back to his side, "Something's not right with you. You don't do… _this_ ," she said, gesturing to where Verna was moments ago, "If you want to stop battling, we can," she sternly said, not wanting to draw out a battle that would create any contempt or lasting discomfort between them.

"No, I'm fine," Lucas insisted, maintaining his neutral as he made a gesture as if to bat her offer away, "I need— _We_ need to see this through," he added in the end with a the faintest smile, though he tried incredibly hard to put it on. "Besides, you're the one who asked me to improvise for once in my battles. Don't you want to see what that's like?" he asked with a fierce grin, knowing that Dawn had to let them continue battling by her own words.

"Alright," she acquiesced cautiously, "Hazel," she said as she released her Monferno, "Finish this battle!"

The fire inside Lucas seemed to burn hotter now. He didn't want to just win. _"I will win this. She knows that. But I have to make it clear, that at any time, anywhere, a battle with is a loss!"_ he spat in his mind, his rage and fury flowing into Galahad who was now speeding up in his flight, a keen eye locked on Hazel. Lucas locked a leg in place to plant himself as he felt his blood race to his head. A shiver raced up his spine, almost releasing his planted stance as his vision moved in and out of phase. Lucas' vision kept flaring in and out of focus until the distortions began to fuse together into a clarified picture again as he regained his control and balance.

"Lucas, you're not okay. We need to stop or you'll—"

"I'm fine. I-I'm fine. Just a damn headache," he lied. "Galahad Wing Attack!"

"Hazel, keep your distance, and don't let him get close," Dawn warned, knowing that Lucas would stick to flying type attacks that were super-effective against Hazel. Just like Prometheus, Hazel flashed her tail flame until it erupted into a much larger, more ferocious blaze that even Galahad shuddered looking until a sharp look from Lucas urged him to press forward on the offensive.

Lucas had a sly smile on his face as Galahad once again climbed high to initiate a dive onto his target, though his smile was cut short momentarily as he saw Dawn's eyes glisten for a moment with anticipatory joy. _"She's got a plan,"_ he hesitantly thought, _"Doesn't matter. Brute strength is the best plan."_ "Keep pushing, Galahad."

Dawn and Hazel both followed Galahad's drop closely as Hazel bent her knees in, waiting for Dawn's next command. Galahad continued on the same route he did with Verna, breaking very close to the ground as he broke out of his dive while keeping his breakneck speed in approaching his target. Dawn counted the distance to Galahad's collision with Hazel in her head until she found the opportunity she was looking for. "Hazel, jump and use Flame Wheel!" she ordered. Hazel responded within the second, her every action having prepared her for this step. She launched into the air with a flip, her flaring and infernal tail following her to light her whole body up in a wheel of fire as she came back down.

Dawn and Lucas both watched intently as Galahad came in too fast and too to break away or target Hazel in the air, while Hazel was in position to land right on top of the raptor as it passed underneath her. "You want me to improvise? Fine," Lucas muttered to himself. "Galahad, invert flight and switch to Aerial Ace!" he boldly said, a confident grin spreading across his face as the end of the battle played out in his mind already.

Dawn watched in awe as Galahad tucked his wings in while rolling to his side, now exposing his belly to Hazel's attack while maintaining his flat course right above the ground. His wings lost their blazing white color as his talons now extended outward, gleaming in the light. "Immelmann Turn, now!" Lucas ferociously said, his eyes now blazing with anticipation as sweat dripped off of his face and onto the floor.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Hazel slammed on top of Galahad, her Flame Wheel sending sparks and flaming material like a splashing stew of fire. But despite her momentum downward, Galahad never hit the ground. Bits of fiery material were falling down from him, but his talons had firmly ensnared Hazel in a crushing grip, once again digging into his prey as his legs were fully extended. He arched his back, threw his wings outward like air-brakes and nearly came to a standstill as he changed direction from inverted flight facing Dawn to normal flight facing Lucas in a split second. All of a sudden, Hazel went from colliding on top of him with a Flame Wheel to being beneath him and in his grip before he flicked his legs back and smashed her into the ground, continuing his course back to Lucas.

"Quick Attack," he plainly said, pointing to Hazel who was shuddering as she exerted force to push herself off of the ground again. Galahad stalled, turned, and shot at Hazel this time with speed he hadn't yet used in battle. His talons were tucked. His beak was closed shut. His head slightly lowered as he became an accelerating bullet that jetted towards Hazel before colliding in a fraction of a second, knocking her back down onto the ground again. Her breathing slowed, and her eyes were closed as Dawn almost reluctantly recalled her, gently running her palm over the Pokeball as if to soothe Hazel inside.

Lucas recalled Galahad mid-flight, a satisfied grin ripping across his face. "I improvised, Dawn," he smiled almost curtly, throwing his arms to the side as if to reveal some grandeur, "Perhaps I should do it more often!" He wiped the drops of sweat from his brow with his sleeve as Dawn watched in utter confusion. "I… won," he added more weakly.

 _"Is he… alright? Should I be angry at him? Help him?"_ Dawn thought on the other side of the battlefield as Lucas dropped to one knee, shaking dozens of droplets of sweat from his head, panting heavily as he felt the daze take over him again. He threw an arm on the cool floor, almost tempted to press his whole body against it when he felt someone hold him up by the shoulders. "We need to get you back," Dawn worriedly said.

"I'm fine—"

"You're lying," she cut him off, as Lucas pulled his head up to see her face, her blue eyes seemingly pulling the heat from him as he relaxed his muscles a bit. "I-I'm calling Barry," she said as she struggled to raise him up.

Though dazed as he was, he was still awake enough to comply and help her, though his mouth could barely move or say anything. He heard running footsteps soon. _"Definitely Barry,"_ he thought as he noted their speed, _"Not that it matters. I won."_

 **Holy COW that was a long-ass chapter. Well, I hope it was worth it for y'all (certainly was worth it for me), and since I added a lot of new stuff in this one, any reviews at all would be marvelously helpful, ya know? Also, I think now is a good time to apologize for my subpar German (Yes, I think there's a Pokemon region for Germany coming soon. If they can give us England and the bloody French, then they should add the Germans, too). If you're wondering what was going on in that whole section, here's what I think is a detailed rundown (I don't know too much German and I tried not to use Google Translate, so native German speakers reading this, a PM would help!)**

 **Basically, Barry begins to throw his collar in the air since he knows one more language than the rest, turns out Alyssa does too (and she's better than him), and manages to score a dinner with her as his vocabulary starts to run thin.**

 **Other than that, I don't have much to say on notes. Cheers!**


End file.
